


Reylo Forever With You

by jadeyes90



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Reylo - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:41:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27004501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadeyes90/pseuds/jadeyes90
Summary: This story is the alternate ending of The Rise of Skywalker. Rey and Ben Solo survives and they have to carefully decide their next course of action. Will their decision land Ben Solo a.k.a. Kylo Ren in jail and ultimately execution or will they find a middle ground that allows them to be together forever. Tune in to find out more!
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 19
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

After destroying her grandfather and his minions, Rey looks up to the sky and smiles, knowing that her loved ones are safe and the war is over. The two lightsabers in her hands fall off and she collapses.

“Ben, I wish we had more time”, Rey thinks as a tear falls from her eye. She feels her body growing cold and weak. She whispers, “Ben…” and the world around her goes dark.

Halfway down the pit, Ben struggles to climb up while having a sprained ankle. Drenched in sweat and in pain, he suddenly feels a shiver down his spine. “Rey?”, he whispers. He calls her through the bond but there was no answer from the other end. He panics and his fear of losing Rey becomes his strength to push on.

**Chapter 1**

As Ben finally reaches the top, his eyes and body shook as he stares at a body on the floor. His dyad, lying still. “Rey… Rey!!!”. Not a single movement or voice acknowledges his calls. Ben limps towards Rey and he collapses next to her. With all gentleness, he turns her body slowly towards him and cradles her. He stares at her but refuses to lay a hand on her face as if she’ll turn to dust once he touches her.

Ben starts to breathe heavily as if he’s having a mild panic attack. “What do I do? How do I save her? I can’t lose her! Mum…Dad… Luke…Chewie… I’ll do anything, give everything!”. He was greeted with silence. He thought perhaps the ghosts of his parents and uncle will help him but no. After a minute, Ben suddenly realizes, “I’ll give everything.”

Ben closes his eyes and focuses on his life force. He meditates and imagine that his bond to Rey is like a red string of fate. It’s still there, thin as if it’s about to snap. He holds tight to that string and begins to transfer his life force to Rey. “I’m sorry for saying that I can take whatever I want. I’m sorry for forcing you to take my hand. But now, I’ll give everything to you. My life, my all. Please, just take my hand one last time and live.”

Rey felt warm again and as her eyes gradually opened, she sees the face of her dyad. For once in all her life, she sees that he is calm, focused and light. She finally realizes that he is transferring his life force into her and it doesn’t look like he’s stopping halfway. She can feel that he’s giving everything and that he’ll die if he doesn’t stop.

When Rey feels her strength returning, she slowly places her left hand on Ben’s right hand that is laying on her belly. “Ben”, Rey whisper. “Ben, stop. That’s enough”. Ben’s eyes open and he stares at a face that is just beaming with light and with a wide smile.

“She’s alive. She’s breathing. She’s smiling at me”, Ben thinks.

With one hand, Rey touches his face and continues to give him the widest smile he deserves. “Ben… It’s all thanks to you”.

Ben finally speaks, “You can hear my thoughts?”

“Of course I can. You’re projecting them really loudly!”, Rey giggles.

Ben chuckles and blushes at his embarrassing mistake. He forgot that Rey stopped him from giving his entire life to her. Their bond is still present because both of them are well and alive.

Rey lowers her hand to hold Ben’s hand. “I did take your hand in the end”. Her eyes stare at how tiny her hand is compared to his. “The big question is, where do we go from here?”.

Ben’s eyes fall to their hands and sighs, “I don’t know, Rey. I really don’t”.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

“We should head back to Ajan Kloss”

Ben frowns at his dyad’s idea. “You and me to Ajan Kloss? Why?”

“That’s where the Resistance base is! I have to get back there and tell them that I’m fine. They must be worried about me”.

“And I ask again. Why? Why must “we”, that includes me, go with you? And of all places, the Resistance base!”. Ben blood begins to boil with Rey’s not-so-amazing idea. “Rey, I’d go anywhere with you but this isn’t it. You’re basically giving the Resistance a huge gift and that’s me, Kylo Ren”.

“But you’ve changed! You came here to Exegol and helped me destroy Palpatine! You basically saved the Resistance and the entire galaxy!”.

Again, just like most conversations with Rey in the past, it will either end with a verbal battle or a literal physical battle. Ben closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Rey, I don’t know if you’ve lost your memory but I did not destroy Palpatine. That was all you. Yes, I did fly here to fight by your side but all I did was battle against my own knights and later thrown into a pit of doom”.

“But what matters is that you came. You fought by my side. Not to mention bringing me back to life… Ben… I’ll vouch for you… I’ll protect you”. Rey tries her best not to stutter as she feels her eyes beginning to turn blurry with tears.

Ben turns his gaze towards Rey and sees her tears building up. He brings his hand to cup her cheek and sighs. “You know that I’ve changed but they don’t. It’s words of one person against thousands or even millions. Rey, this battle at Exegol isn’t enough to prove that I’m a changed man. I don’t want to say this but… once you deliver me to them, I’m as good as dead. I’m sorry”.

Deep down, Rey knows that this is the hard truth. Kylo Ren has done so many terrible things in the past but today, Ben Solo helped save the galaxy. He helped Rey, the supposed last jedi. Even bringing her back to life. Giving hope for the future generation of up and coming force users. “Okay. You win”.

“Rey, this isn’t a competition. I’m just being realistic. To be honest, I know that I can’t run forever but I need to figure out how I can pay for the sins I’ve committed. Today is just a steppingstone and I’m not ready to be executed.

Rey feels a warmth in her heart that the man before her is truly repenting. She knows that he wants to right the wrongs and to give all that he has taken. He wants to live and she knows that she cannot leave his side. They are a dyad who have finally reunited and nothing will tear them apart.

“Okay, Ben Solo. So where should we be going? Ahch-To?”. Rey dries her eyes and grins at Ben.

“Nice try but no. I was thinking of Naboo”. Ben looks to the ground and as his hair flows down to cover his face, he secretly smiles. A gentle and yet, sad smile.

Despite him trying to hide his feelings, Rey knows her dyad. She slides her hand into his and gives it a gentle squeeze. “Why Naboo?”.

“My grandmother, Padme was Queen and Senator of Naboo. Leia told me that my grandmother has a private land with a house by a lake. My parents and I used to go there, mainly for work because of Leia… I think we can stay there for the time being”.

“A lake!” Rey’s eyes sparkle and she smiles with excitement. Ben feels like he can just drop dead at that moment as he couldn’t believe that his words just made his girl so happy.

“Well then, we better get flying… ahhhh…”, Ben stood up a little too quickly and totally forgetting that he had sprained his ankle.

As Ben collapses back onto the floor, Rey scoots closer to his injured ankle. “You silly Solo. Let me heal you”.

Ben grins as Rey heals him. “Rey, can we fly in one ship with you sitting on my lap?”.

Rey’s cheeks started to burn and she grabs his injured ankle tightly. “Oww oww oww! Sorry… Fine, we’ll fly separately”. As Ben turns his face from her, Rey tries to muffle her laughter when she sees Ben Solo pouting like a little child.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Nearing the private property of Ben’s grandmother, Rey gasps as it was such a beautiful sight to behold. Lush greenery, a beautiful glassy lake that reflects the sky and a huge mansion smack right in the middle of all that. As both their ships land beside the lake, Rey is the first to eject herself out of her seat and run towards the lake. Kicking off her boots, she walks by the shoreline and giggles happily.

“Ben! This is amazing! The water is so cool!”. Ben can’t help but smile as he sees Rey kicking the water.

“C’mon Rey. You have all the time in the world to explore the place. Let’s just go in the house and get cleaned up. Also, I’m starving!”.

“Fine… Fine…”. Rey walks away from the lake, grabs her boots, and walks barefooted towards the house with Ben. “The grass feels amazing. I’m really controlling myself for your sake to no roll all over the grass!”.

Ben chuckles at Rey. All of a sudden, he stops walking and pulls Rey behind him. “Stay behind me and don’t say a word”.

“What do you mean? Is it an enemy? Hey! You’re not the one having two sabers. You’re only armed with the force!”.

Ben ignores whatever Rey said and focuses his attention to a group of people appearing before them. A beautiful lady in her mid-50s appears with a troop of armed guards.

“Well looks who’s here. I must say that you’ve really made a name for yourself across the galaxy. Our sensors picked up two ships entering my planet and landing here of all places. I had to abandon my meetings and see who my visitors are”. As the lady speaks, her eyes were staring daggers at Ben and at Rey who is trying her best to peep over Ben’s shoulder.

“Your majesty”, Ben says with a light nod. “Rest assured that I’m not here to create havoc in your peaceful planet. My companion and I would like a good rest after all that we’ve gone through for the past few days. If you’d like us to leave, we will. Just give us 24 hours and we’ll go”.

“My my… So quick to leave even though you’ve just arrived. You are indeed an Organa, Solo and Skywalker. You may stay for as long as you like. Just don’t break anything that is in that house. You should know by now that this house is special and precious”.

“Yes, your Grace. This house belonged to the late Queen Padme Amidala and I believe it is then passed on to her daughter, Princess Leia”.

“Indeed. After Queen Amidala’s death, this land and its contents were naturally passed to her children. It is now under your **_mother’s_** name. However, do you actually believe that this land now belongs to you? I heard that your **_mother_** died at the Resistance base, using the last ounce of strength to contact you through the force”.

Ben could feel the current queen of Naboo stressing the word “mother”. He knows that she is doing this on purpose. This is a subtle form of revenge to all that he did to his mother. Memories of the good and bad came flooding in like a raging wave and Ben began to feel dizzy.

Rey could feel Ben’s heart and mind racing through the bond. She quietly tucked in her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. With that, he calmed down and squeezed her hand back. Telling her that he’ll be fine.

The queen notices Ben and Rey’s silent communication. “Interesting. And yet… How rude of you to hide your companion. Shouldn’t you be introducing her to me? As the queen of this planet, I should know who I’m allowing to stay on my planet”.

Ben begins, “This is Re…”. “Hello, your majesty. I’m Rey!”, Rey steps forward and bows to the queen.

“Ah, the last jedi I’ve heard so much about. It is an honour to have you visit my planet”.

“No, your majesty. It’s a huge honour that I’m in the presence of a royalty!”, Rey blushes.

“Oh, dear Rey. I’m sure that you’ve been in the presence of royalties in the last few years”, the queen turns her eyes to Ben. “After all, Ben is the son of Princess Leia”.

Rey turns to Ben as it finally clicks. Technically, Ben is a prince because Leia is a princess. Rey turns away from Ben and blushes furiously.

Ben couldn’t help but chuckle at Rey’s reaction. “It’s true that I’m actually a prince. But really. I’m a prince of a world that was destroyed”.

Again, the queen couldn’t help but smile at the interaction between Ben and Rey. She quietly thinks to herself, “Leia, your son has truly come home”.

Ben straightens himself and addresses the queen. “Your majesty, we thank you for your hospitality. If you could please grant us access to the mansion, that would be great. I’m sure it only allows Leia’s handprint or yours to enter the house”.

“Yes, the house does accept my handprint but why don’t you try entering the house on your own”.

Ben looked puzzled at what the queen said and he felt as if there were tonnes of butterflies in his stomach. He felt nervous for some reason. “Leia wouldn’t have…”. He walked nervously to the entrance of the house and placed his hand on the scanner located on the door.

The scanner turned green and he could hear the door unlocking. He stood, frozen in front of the door. Refusing to enter. “Why did it accept my handprint? I never returned to this place after joining the First Order. How did it accept my…?”.

“My dear boy… It was your mother”, the queen calmly tells Ben with a gentle smile on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

***Flashback***

“Oh dear, Princess Leia! What an honour to have you visiting Naboo. Is there anything that I can help you with?”.

“Your majesty, enough with the ‘princess’ title. Please, just call me Leia”.

“Oh my. Despite us being cousins, it is still rude of me to call you by your first name! You should know by now that my position as queen was meant to be yours. Not because you’re an Organa but because you’re the daughter of Queen Amidala. _Sigh_ , if you’d really like me to call you by your first name, then can you at least call me by my first name as well?”.

“Ha ha… Sure thing, Zira”. Queen Zira smiles as she finally relaxes at how she can lower her guard around Leia and just be cousins who are having a wonderful chat.

“So, what brings you to Naboo? It’s quite sudden especially when you’re the general of the Resistance. You must be very busy planning your next course of action against the First Order”.

As Leia hears this, she lowers her head and places her hands together. “Zira, I’m sure you know that the current supreme leader of the First Order is my son”.

“Yes. Ben Solo”.

“And you know the decisions and destruction he has caused to people across the galaxy. Whatever people may say about him… Whatever **you** might say about him, he is still my son”.

“Leia…”. Zira places her hand on Leia’s. “I know. He has done many terrible things but he will always be my naughty little nephew”. Zira grins at Leia and tears start to flow from Leia’s eyes.

“Thank you, Zira. This means so much to me that you still care about him. I know that there is still good in him. There are people who still love him but I know that only one person can reach and touch his heart”.

“And who might that…”.

Leia quickly grabs both of Zira’s hands. “Zira, I don’t have much time left. Whatever happens to me, you have to know that it is all for my son. Please don’t turn your back on him. He will come home, I’m sure of it”.

Zira felt her stomach drop as she listens to Leia’s words. “What do you mean you have no time left? What are you going to do?!?!”.

“Zira, after losing Han, Luke and even experiencing getting blown out into space… it has really taken a toll on me. I’m old and weak. I can feel the force telling me that it will soon be my time to finish one last job and I can finally rest”.

Zira’s eyes begin to water. “I understand. Who am I to question the force? And so… what should I do for Ben?”.

“I fear a raging storm is on its way and it will be our final battle. My son will live. My mother’s… our land… I want it to be given to Ben. However, I want you to only grant him access to the property if he brings Rey with him”.

“Rey? As in the last jedi?”.

“Yes, Zira. If she’s with him, you must let him have this land. Please”.

“Okay, I’ll do as you say”.

Leia stands and heads toward the Millennium Falcon. “Thank you, Zira. This means so much to me and Han. I just wish I could be the one to stand here and welcome my son home”.

Zira walks hand in hand with Leia to the Falcon. “I’ll do that in your stead, Leia. I will protect my naughty little nephew”.

“Thank you so much, Zira. May the force be with you”. As Leia gives Zira a tight hug, tears begin form in their eyes.

“And with you, too. Goodbye Princess Leia”. Zira’s voice began to tremble as she knows that it will be her last time addressing Leia as ‘princess’.

Leia boards the Falcon and was greeted by Chewie at the door. Chewie gives a sad roar, _“Is it done, Princess?”_.

“Yes, Chewie. It is done. All we need to do is to wait till he comes home”.

 _“Don’t worry, Princess. Little Ben won’t be alone when he arrives here. When he returns, I assure you that he won’t leave my sight!”_.

“Oh, Chewie! Please give Ben and Rey some privacy! Quickly start up the Falcon and let’s head back to Ajan Kloss”.

As Chewie stomps to the cockpit, Leia can’t help but giggle as she hears Chewie grumbling, _“What do you mean by privacy? Those two kids need adult supervision!!!”_.

Leia smiles sadly as she stands behind Chewie with a hand on his furry shoulder. She knows that Chewie’s mind is still stuck in the past because he wants to remember the good memories. Precious memories of _Little Ben_. Leia remembers again that when her time ends, she can go in peace, truly knowing that there are many who will stand by Ben and will genuinely love him.

***Present***

As Queen Zira tells Ben about her conversation with the late Princess Leia, Ben begins to shake and collapses onto the floor. The floodgates are now open and Ben sobs heavily. Rey cries as well and falls beside Ben with her arms surrounding.

Queen Zira gently smiles at the couple on the floor. “This place is now yours, Ben. It is Leia’s wish to give this to you… Welcome home, Ben”. With that, Queen Zira and her troops walk away from the property with a happy smile on her face.

Seconds turned to minutes. Minutes turned to hours and the sun has set in Naboo. Ben tries his best to calm down with Rey rubbing circles on his back. He finally stands and looks at the main door of the house, his house. He takes a deep breath and looks at Rey with an outstretched hand, “Will you come with me?”.

Rey takes Ben’s hand and gives him a light squeeze and a smile, “Always”.

“Mum, Dad… I’m home”. And Ben finally enters his house with Rey by his side.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

As our lovely couple take their first step into the house, their jaws just dropped. To Ben, the house remained the same and it was perfectly clean. He expected it to be dusty and dirty. To Rey, it was a magnificent house. It is huge with multiple rooms. It has a cosy living room with a fireplace, a huge kitchen which is relatively stocked and an amazing garden filled with beautiful flowers and edible plants (fruits and vegetables).

Ben figured out that the queen must have gotten the place ready for him to move in. His heart began to beat furiously because he realised that he didn’t deserve all of this. He was so thankful to all those who still believed in him. At that moment, he vows to live a life that is worthy of all this. He will make sure to right his wrongs. And he will do all this with the most precious person that will always stay by his side. “Hey Rey, what do you think about this place? Wanna call it our home?”.

After a good 5 seconds with no reply, he turned to his right where Rey was supposedly standing but it was empty. “Huh? She was right here? Where did she go?”.

Ben spent a good 10 minutes running from room to room, floor to floor, searching for his beloved scavenger. “Rey… Rey!!! Where are you?!?!”.

“I’m out here at the garden! Ben, you have to come out here! Take a look at all the flowers and trees! We have our own vegetable and fruit garden…”, Rey shouted with excitement.

As Rey was about to finish the last word of her sentence, she was suddenly trapped in a bear-hug. “Ben? What’s wrong? You’re trembling…”.

“You disappeared… I got so worried… So scared… I didn’t know what came over me but…”.

Rey began to tear up at how scared Ben felt. Not only did he see but he felt her dying in his arms. It was such a traumatic experience for Ben. With that, she held him tightly. “I’m sorry… I should have told you I was heading out to the garden. I’m sorry”.

“No… It’s not your fault”. Ben releases her and looks deep into her eyes. He brushes the strands of stray hair from her face and tucks it behind her ear. “I’m sorry for reacting that way… It’s just… Few hours ago at Exegol, you were…”.

“I know… I know… I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere”. Rey cups Ben’s cheeks and gives him a gentle smile. “But… Erm, right now… I’d like to get a room and have a nice shower. Is that okay?”.

Ben chuckles, “Yeah… I guess I should do the same. Wait… Aren’t we sharing a room? The room I usually sleep in is big enough! I have a huge bed!”.

Rey finally relaxes as she sees Ben being somewhat normal. Yeah, somewhat normal in a sense implying weird things to her. “Ben… Don’t make me do a force mind trick on you. Please, just give me a room of my own?”.

“ _Sigh_ , fineeee…”.

Ben finally brings Rey to a guest room that is a few doors away from Ben’s. That again, is on purpose. His Plan A was to put her in the room next to his. Scenario 1, Rey will get irritated and will start swinging two sabers at him. He feels a shiver down his spine and pushes out Plan A. Plan B. Put Rey in a room that is 3 doors away from him. It is not too far and not too near to his room. Rey will probably agree. He hopes.

“So, this will be your room. I specifically chose this room because it has its own bathroom unlike the other guest rooms”, Ben says in a confident tone.

Rey narrows her eyes and stares at Ben. “Are you sure? Majority of the guest rooms I saw had its own bathroom and so why is this one so specifically chosen…”.

Just when Rey finishes her sentence, Ben quickly butts in. “It has the best view and you have a balcony! You can see the lake and the garden!”.

“Really!?!”. Rey quickly runs to the glass door that opens to the balcony. Ben was telling the truth, well sort of. She knew for sure that he still wants her close to him and his room. But yes. It was beautiful. She’s excited to live here. To wake up and see a beautiful lake and greenery first thing in the morning.

“Thank you for bringing me here, Ben. And now, I’d like to have a shower. I’ll see you in a few minutes, okay?”. Rey quickly ushers Ben out of her room and shuts the door.

“Erm, okay???”. Ben quickly knocks on her door. “Hey, Rey?”.

“Yeah?”.

“Don’t take too long, okay? We better take a quick bite after showering and call it a night”.

“Yes… Yes… Now scoot and take your own shower!”.

“Okay, I’m going… To my room… To take a shower… Right now…”. Ben is hesitant to leave Rey’s door.

“Stars!!! Ben, just go. I’ll be fine! I’ll talk to you through the bond if I’m in trouble”.

“Okayyyy…”. Ben lingers a little longer in front of Rey’s room and only leaves when he hears the water running.

After a 15-minute shower, Ben walked out of his bathroom and opened his wardrobe, hoping to find some decent clothing. “Huh? These clothes are pretty decent? The queen must have gotten someone to get these things”. His wardrobe was full of clothes. Shirts, tunics, pants, underwear, panties, bras… “Wait… what??? Panties and bras?”. He rummaged a little further and found that there are female clothes in his wardrobe as well and it all looked as if it only fits one person. Rey.

“Ha ha… The queen has really outdone herself. _Sigh…_ Thank you”. He grabs a full set of clothes which yes, includes the panties and bra. He stacks them up neatly and heads to Rey’s room. He can still hear her showering and so he places the clothes right at her front door and walks down to the kitchen.

After Rey finishes showering, she grabs a bathrobe and wraps it around her body. She has never felt anything like this before. A beautiful bathroom of her own that is filled with all the necessary items such as shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, facial cleanser, moisturiser, hairbrush, etc. There’s even a toothbrush and toothpaste available. Not to mention a choice of bathrobes and towels.

However, something is missing from all that. Clothes. She left her bag downstairs and she has nothing else to wear. Thank the stars for the bathrobe. She hopes that Ben wouldn’t mind if she walked around the house with a bathrobe. Well, he would obviously love it! After brushing her hair, she opens her room door to make her way down to the kitchen. Thankfully, she stopped herself on time before tripping over a pile of clothes on the floor.

Rey was puzzled and as she takes a closer look, she sees a pile was female clothing and it looked like they fit her. She guessed that it must be Ben and with a bright smile, she grabbed the clothes to get herself changed. Quickly putting on the undergarments and the matching grey shirt and shorts, she quickly made her way to the kitchen.

As she makes her way to the entrance of the kitchen, she sees the broad back of her dyad, busying himself with preparing dinner. She can see a few sandwiches and two bowls of soup. She leans on the wall and just stares at Ben. She thinks deeply, “ _Is this how it feels to have a home? A family? Someone who cares so much about you?_ ”. With that, she blushes at the thought of having a family. Not so much as to having children but to actually have a sense of belonging. To a place and to a person.

“The soup smells delicious!”, she says as she walks to his side.

“Yeah. Sorry but it is actually instant soup. Haha…”.

“Well, instant or not, it’s still a high quality Naboo instant soup!”.

“That’s true. But really, I’d want you to have something better but after having such a long day and looking at the time, we’d better have something simple and get lots of rest”.

“You’re right”.

As Ben carries their meals on a platter, he leads Rey into a room that has a huge screen and sofas.

“What’s this room?”

“Oh, it’s a tele room. Well I’d call it a screen room cos of the huge screen. Rather than those normal holograms that projects 3D images and video recordings, this is just a simple 2D”.

“Wow!!! So, what can it do?”.

“We can watch live recordings or old videos. You can even watch dramas based on Naboo. Couples fighting, breaking-up, getting back together…”.

“Wow, that’s really dramatic. I hope they’re okay”, Rey sighs.

Ben beings to chuckle. He should know better that Rey has no experience of these things. “Rey, those shows are fake. There are people called actors and they act in these shows. There’s a plotline that they follow and it’s all recorded on video cameras”.

“Ah, I see”, Rey blushes.

After flipping through the channels and a list of shows they can watch on demand, he finally finds a video that introduces Naboo. Rey gets excited and places herself next to Ben and munches on her sandwich. Surprisingly, Ben is the one who was so focused on the documentary that he didn’t notice Rey nodding off and lying on the sofa with her head on his lap.

He sees her sleeping so peacefully with her face snuggled against his lap and her hand holding his loose pants. He smiles at her and gently lifts her head so that he can get up to clean the dishes.

After washing the dishes, he returns to the screen room and still finds Rey unmoved. Plan A… pick her up, bridal style, tuck her in his bed, and probably lose an arm or Plan B, pick her up, bridal style and tuck Rey in her own bed. Save an arm and his life. Ben goes for Plan B.

As he lays Rey gently on her bed and tuck her in comfortably, he hears her mumble his name with a smile on her face. She’s happy. She’s safe. She feels wanted. And it is all because of him.

Ben sits by her bedside and brushes the stray strands of hair off her face and plants a goodnight kiss to her forehead. Before he leaves her room, he whispers to Rey, “Thank you… for everything. Goodnight”.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Everything was falling apart. Buildings crashing down and screams were heard all over the place. And then, there was silence. Rey saw a body from a distance and knew who it was. She would always recognize that broad muscular back. She ran and ran until she reached him. Her eyes started to sting as she turns him around. His face was beyond recognition. His eyes were dull and as he tries to say her name, his voice, his deep and gentle voice was replaced with a sound that will haunt her forever.

“Re… Rey… You… You’re ooo… okay…”.

“I’m fine… Please don’t speak. I’ll… I’ll heal you quickly… and we can get out of here. Please, just hang on!”.

“Rey… It’s… It’s too late… Go… Befo… before they find y… you…”.

“I told you to stop talking! It’s going to be okay. I can do this… I can… I can fix you… I can help you…”, her eyes began to blur as tears started to overflow.

Rey can feel that his life force is burning out. She pumped in her own life force into him. She tries and tries until she feels herself weakening. “You’re going to be fine, Ben. You’ll live… You will…”.

“That’s enough… Rey… Stop… It’s no use…”. Ben slowly lifts his hand to cover Rey’s hand that is over his chest. “Stop…”.

“No… No!!! Don’t tell me to stop! Everyone else gave up on you but not me!”.

“Rey… Look at me…”. And Rey finally looks into his eyes. His dull, dull eyes.

“The force… I can feel it telling me that my time is done. With this much strength that you’ve restored, I just… want to tell you something that has been on my mind lately… I… I lo…v…”. And the force takes him in a blink of an eye.

The force can be so cruel at times. But this… This is beyond Rey’s comprehension. She screams at the top of her lungs and releases a sound that she has never heard before. She denied her heritage and yet, releasing the terrifying purple lightning just like her grandfather.

With all the rage that has built up, she destroys everything that surrounds her. Since the force dares to take Ben away from her, she can then kiss the force a freaking goodbye and destroy herself with her own lightning. With that, she was swallowed whole into a world of darkness.

“BEN!!!”, Rey screams as her body shoots up from her bed. She tries her best to focus on her surroundings. That’s right, she’s in Naboo and she’s in Leia’s mansion, Ben’s mansion. “Ben…”. Her face is covered in tears, body covered in cold sweat, and she just stares at her bedroom door. She darts to the door but hesitates to open.

So many things have happened and yet, she’s sort of comfortable with what’s between them. What exactly is between them? Is this what you call a couple like in those dramas that Ben told her? They’ve never really talked about it but she knew that there is some sort of attraction between them. She knows that Ben is making not-so-very-subtle moves on her and she rejects it. But at the same time, she asks herself if this is what she really wants.

Screw it! With a deep breath, she reaches for the doorknob and opens the door. What stood right in front of her gave her a fright. Tears begin to flow from her eyes again. “Ben???”, and she hugs him.

*Flashback to a few minutes ago*

Ben finally settles in bed and shuts his eyes. He begins to recap as to what has happened. Rey’s lifeless body in his arms, Rey waking up, Rey flying with him even though in separate ships, Rey following him to Naboo, Leia… Leia giving this mansion to him. It was all too much. He experienced a rollercoaster of emotions in the last 24 hours.

But right now, all that matters is that Rey is here, with him. He will make sure she’s safe. Protected. He wants a life with her. Forever. However, he isn’t sure as to why she’s rejecting his advances. Ben mumbles, “I guess she’s never been in a relationship before…”.

Suddenly, his entire room beings to shake. He shoots out from bed and hope it isn’t an earthquake. As he was about to sprint to his door, Ben feels a sharp pain in his head and heart. Grief, sadness, anger, madness, death. “Rey…”. He tries his best to ignore the pain and runs for Rey’s bedroom.

As he nears her room, the whole house stopped shaking and the pain he felt was beginning to subside. “ _She’s calming down_ ”, Ben thinks. At first, he wasn’t sure if he should barge in. Or be a gentleman and knock on the door. He goes for the second option. As his fist was about to knock on Rey’s door, her door immediately flings open and all Ben sees is a frightened Rey. Her eyes red from all the crying and her hair as if she just finished a wrestling match with Chewie.

Before Ben could utter her name, he was suddenly crushed in a tight hug and all he sees and hears is Rey crying into his chest. “Rey…?”

*Present*

“Rey… I’m here. It’s safe… You’re safe”. Ben returns her hug and shields her with his arms.

“No… I saw you die… It was terrible… The force was horrible to me and to you… It will take you away from me…”, Rey says in between the sobs and the sniffs.

“No… The force will not do such a thing. I won’t disappear, Rey. Not yet… Well, I hope to die when I’m old, wrinkly and when it’s impossible for me to walk”, Ben chuckles.

“How… How can you be joking at a time like this?!?!”, Rey starts to pound her fists onto his chest. “This is serious… I… I can’t lose you. I can’t. It’ll be too painful…”.

Ben grabs her hands before he gets a bruised chest. “Rey, I promise you. I won’t leave you. I will never leave you”. Ben brushes a tear from her eye, “How can I leave someone so special like you?”.

“I’m… I’m special? You told me I was nothing. That I come from nothing!”.

“You forgot the next part. Not to me, Rey. You may come from a nowhere place like Jakku. But you are not nothing to me. In fact, you… you are everything to me”. Ben stares at Rey as if his eyes communicate to her in a different way. His gaze, intense but not to the extent that it scares her.

Rey never breaks away from his intense stare. She can somewhat feel that he is telling the truth and, in his eyes, she is truly precious to him. Slowly, Ben lowers his face towards her and she closes her eyes and waits. She thinks, “ _Is this going to be my first kiss_?”. She has always dreamed and hoped that one day, she will spend her entire life with a person that she loves and him loving her back. She dreamed that her first and last kiss will be with the same person. She has always hoped that the man she allows to enter her life will be her one and only. A forever with him.

At that point of time, her dream of getting her first kiss was shattered. The only thought that ran through her mind was, “ _Wait… Huh?_ ”. Instead of Ben’s lips on hers, it was his forehead on hers instead! With his deep voice, Ben says, “You are the only one who is more precious to me than anything else this galaxy can ever offer. Please believe it, Rey”.

“Okay”. She was disappointed for not getting a kiss but as he lifts his head, she could have sworn that she felt his lips brushing pass her forehead.

“It’s still dark outside and it’ll be a few hours until the sun rises. You should get back to sleep”. Ben slowly takes baby steps away from Rey but before he can go any further, Rey grabs his shirt tightly and shifts her gaze to his feet.

“Don’t go… Can I… can… can I sleep… next… to… you?”. Rey’s cheeks begin to burn.

“Ermm… Sure… If you don’t mind… me… being… next… to… you…”. And now Ben can feel his cheeks flushing a bright pink as he stutters his words. He offers his hand to her and she shyly takes it.

The walk to his room was both exciting and excruciating. Ben is finally sharing a bed with Rey. His heart pounds and his brain is in a frenzy that he doesn’t realise that they have been standing in front of his door for a good 3 minutes.

“Ben? Are you okay?”.

“Huh??? What??? Oh yeah… I’m fine… Sorry…”. Ben walks in with Rey and leads her to his bed.

It was a huge bed with black (of course it had to be black) sheets and covers. As Rey crawls onto the right side of the bed, Ben quickly runs to her side and tucks her in. “Ben… I’m not a child… Stop that and please just lie down”.

“Ermmm, yeah. Sorry”. Ben lies on the left side on the bed and awkwardly stares at the ceiling while Rey turns to stare at him. Ben thinks, “ _She has no idea what this situation is doing to me…_ ”.

Rey whispers, “Hey Ben… Can you face me… Please?”.

“ _Yup. She has no clue on what she’s doing to me_ ”, Ben silently screams in his head. “Ermmm… Okay…”. As Ben slowly turns his body and gaze towards Rey, Rey quickly scoots closer and snuggles into his chest.

“Hold me… Please… I feel safer that way”.

Ben prays that Rey doesn’t hear his heart beating so quickly. He is a nervous wreck and he’s trying his best to not get too excited. Slowly, he wraps his right arm around her and pulls her closer. He can slowly feel her left arm hugging him as well. “Is this okay?”, Ben asks nervously.

“Yeah, this is perfect”. With that, Rey falls asleep instantly. Deep down, she knows that Ben is precious to her as well. An irreplaceable partner. Her dyad that will be with her forever. She will do anything to protect him especially those who will take him away from her. Be it her friends or the force.

Ben could feel Rey relaxing next to him and he knew she’s fast asleep. He scoots back a little to take a good look at her face. He can see her frowning every now and then. He hopes he can wipe away the bad memories that Rey went through but he has no clue as to how he can block those terrible nightmares. He’s afraid that these nightmares will be too much of an influence on Rey and something bad might happen to her.

He frowns at her frown. All he could now do is to gently place a finger in between her eyebrows. In a way, he gently irons the frowns and he can see it working. Rey’s face became calm and lighter. Ben can finally smile. His girl is fine.

Ben gently pulls Rey closer and holds her. He tells himself like a chant that everything will be alright. They will be alright. Rey is safe. Much safer with him and he will do anything to protect her. Anything. At last, Ben shuts his eyes and is overcome with sleep. He is content as his precious Rey is in his arms. Finally.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Rays of sunlight shines through his curtains. Birds are chirping happily outside his window. Despite having his eyes shut, he smiles and tightens his arm around Rey. His Rey. He remembers bringing her into his room and her snuggling next to him. “Morning, Rey. What do you feel like doing today?”, and Ben plants a kiss on her forehead.

After a few seconds with no reply, he rubs his eyes and opens to find that what he was hugging was actually a pillow! “What the… Rey?!?!? Where did she go this time?”. Ben jumps out of bed tries to flatten his bed hair. He then notices a written note on his bedside table:

_Morning, sleepy head! I know you hate that I disappear all the time but don’t worry. I’m heading to the garden._

Well at least this time, Rey gives him a little heads-up as to where she went. After a quick wash-up in the bathroom, Ben makes his way to his balcony and sees Rey admiring the flowers in the garden. Her beautiful wide smile and bright eyes is all he sees. She’s happy and that’s all that matters. He gives a light chuckle and leaves the balcony. Ben’s starving and he wants to prepare an amazing breakfast for Rey.

Rey was too focused on the flowers that she didn’t notice her dyad watching her from above. But what caught her attention was the amazing smell of cooked meat. She quickly stood up from where she was squatting and headed back inside the house. She walked quietly to the kitchen and sees Ben cooking.

Just few days ago, he was the great Kylo Ren, the Supreme Leader that is tasked to kill the last jedi. And now, he is Ben Solo, an amazing chef in the kitchen. Well, Rey hopes that he has a talent for cooking. As quick as lightning, Ben stops what he’s doing and looks at Rey, “Good morning! Did you sleep well last night?”.

Rey tenses as Ben looks at her. She needed a moment to collect herself. That’s right. She was kept safe the entire night and when she woke up in the morning, she realised that Ben’s arms were still around her. At that time, it took her a few minutes to wiggle her way out and to just admire his face. His face is handsome and it wasn’t injured just like her nightmare. He’s safe. She’s safe.

Back in the kitchen, Rey finally finds her voice and she tries her best to not stutter, “Ermmm… Yeah. I slept well. Thanks…”. Rey’s face begins to turn into a bright red, just like the bright red tomato that Ben is holding.

He places the tomato back on the kitchen counter and approaches Rey. He places his palm to her forehead. “Hey, are you okay? You’re burning up”.

“I’m fine… I’m fine… It’s ermmm… the morning sun. I think I spent too long outside”. Rey suddenly thinks to herself, “ _Way to go, Rey! You’re from Jakku. You’ve spent your entire life under the scorching sun and you dare to give this stupid excuse. Of course he’s not going to believe what I say…”._

“Okay”.

“Huh?”. Rey is puzzled that the great Kylo Ren believed her.

“Are you losing your hearing as well?”. Ben asks with a very concern tone. “You might be coming down with a fever. Flushed face and muffled hearing. You better go to the screen room and make yourself comfortable on the sofa. I’ll bring our breakfast shortly”.

“Ben, I’m fine. Really. Let me help you with breakfast”.

“I can handle this. Just rest, please. Do it for me”.

“ _Sigh_ … Fine…”. And the last jedi is beaten.

After a few minutes, Ben comes in with a scrumptious breakfast. “Wow, this is amazing!”.

“Haha, thanks! Have you picked a show that you want to watch?”. Ben naturally places himself next to Rey.

“Yeah, it’s a tutorial on swimming. I really want to get into the lake without actually drowning”, Rey giggles.

“Haha, we can go for a swim after this. I can teach you as well”, Ben grins.

“So, you want to be my teacher? I remember you saying something similar in the past”, Rey grins as well.

Ben chuckles and scratches the back of his head. “Yeah, that’s true. Anyway, I’m sure you don’t have any bathing suits”.

Rey shakes her head.

“Yeah, thought so. Most of your clothes given by the queen are in my wardrobe. I can help transfer them to your room and you can take a look at those clothes. The queen might have gotten you some bathing suits and…”. Before Ben could end his sentence, Rey quickly tugs on his sleeve and looks down.

“Ermmm about that. I’m don’t feel safe sleeping on my own. I… I’m just… scared… If it’s okay with you… can I just stay in your room and sleep next to you?”.

Ben slowly shifts his body to look at Rey and he gently holds both her hands. “Rey… I…”.

“You… you don’t want me?”, Rey tries her best to steady her voice.

“It’s not that I don’t want you… but there are lots of things on my mind lately and I just need to know how you feel as well. Rey… do we consider ourselves as friends or do you want us to be something more?”. Ben takes a deep breath and waits for Rey’s answer.

“I… We are friends and…”.

“Yeah but friends don’t snuggle into each other or hold hands or give kisses to their foreheads. Friends aren’t that intimate. Rey… I like you a lot and I care about you more than anyone or anything but I want to respect you as a young woman. I really want us to be more than friends but I don’t want to take advantage of you if you don’t feel the same way about me”.

Rey’s eyes begin to sting with tears. “I want you. I want us to be more… more than friends… I want to spend forever with you. I don’t know when I started to feel this way but I really, truly like you too”. And the floodgates open as Rey realises her true feelings for Ben.

Ben’s shocked and lost for words. All he could do is to encircle Rey in his arms. This amazing young woman is so new to intimate relationships. He wouldn’t say ‘new to love’ yet as he isn’t sure if she actually loves him. As of now, Rey liking him and wanting to be with him is enough. The true essence of love will bloom later on. So now, all he could do is to hold her and acknowledges her feelings.

After a while, Rey relaxes in his arms and shifts a little to look at Ben. “Ben, you must think I’m really stupid. I wouldn’t the first thing about being with a man. To be a couple. I’m sure you’ve had countless of relationships with women especially when you were the great Kylo Ren…”.

Ben quickly places a hand on her mouth to stop her from rambling. “First things first. I haven’t been with women my whole life. I might have had a few crushes when I was younger but my main focus was to be like Luke. And well, a lot of things happened through the course of time. Even when I was Kylo Ren, Snoke did tempt me with multiple women but again, I was so focused on the dark side that I couldn’t be bothered with them. What I’m trying to say is that I guess we’re both new to this”.

Rey giggles that the great Kylo Ren who is probably 10 years older than her never had a woman in his life (apart from his mum). Rey smirks at Ben and throws him in the deep with her question, “So, do we kiss?”.

Ben stares at Rey and his cheeks and ears turn red. “This isn’t funny! Rey, you have no idea… no idea how much I want to… ki… kiss… you…”. He couldn’t control his words and his heart beats furiously. Ben Solo is a nervous wreck! “Rey, now is not the time for that. I don’t know if you’re ready and I want to give you the respect that you deserve”.

Rey giggles again and can’t help but to blush. “Okay, okay… I was just joking… So, can you teach me how to swim?”.

As innocent as Rey sounds, Ben can’t help but to let his imaginations run wild. “Ermm, yeah… okay… I’m fine with what I’m wearing right now. You can go to my wardrobe and pick something comfy and dark coloured”.

“Okay!”. And Rey sprints to his bedroom as she can’t wait to get changed and have her first ever swimming lesson!

In the kitchen, Ben quickly washes the dishes and waits for Rey at the main door of the house. He can hear her footsteps running from one end of his bedroom to the other end and her footsteps getting louder as she runs down the staircase and into his arms. “I’m ready! Let’s go!”. And Rey holds him by the hand and leads him to the lake.

As they reach the lake, Ben takes off his shirt and drops it on the grass. He then sees Rey looking at him and she reaches for her own black shirt to follow after him. Ben turns away and shouts at her, “What do you think you’re doing!?!?”.

“I’m copying you. I have to follow after my teacher, right?”.

“No! This is out of the question. Leave your shirt on!”.

“But… Why can YOU take your shirt off but I can’t?!?!”.

“Well… Ermm…”. Ben Solo’s mind freezes as he tries to come up with a good reason. “You see…. The truth is… You need to keep the shirt on because…”.

Rey smiles with a grin. “Ben Solo is shy… You’re shy to see me without my shirt. Aren’t you?”.

Ben’s eyes widen at Rey’s sharp accusation. “That’s not true! Well… I’m… Partly yes but… You might ermmm… catch a cold when you come out of the water”.

Rey laughs, “Okay okay… I’ll keep my clothes on”. Slowly, Rey walks to the edge of the lake and dips her toes into the shallow area. “Wow, it’s pretty warm”.

“Yeah. It’s now mid-morning. The sun is out and there aren’t many clouds. That makes it a perfect day for a dip”.

“That’s great! So, what’s my first lesson, Mr Solo?”.

“Let’s just start with kicking”. Ben takes a few steps into the lake but turns around to face Rey. “Don’t worry, we’ll stay in the shallow area where the water reaches to your waist”. He offers his hand to her and with a smile, he says, “Do you trust me?”.

Rey smiles, “You know I do”. She takes his hand and he leads her into the water.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_Splish splash splish splash._ “Don’t worry if your head goes under. I’ll be here to lift you up. Just hold on to my hands, lift your legs up and start kicking”.

“I’m trying! I’m trying!”.

“It’s like floating on your front. Breathe in and out. Don’t panic”.

“Geez, don’t you know that people will actually panic after you tell them not to!”.

“Sorry! What else am I supposed to say? Erghh, just keep kicking your feet. Up and down!”.

“Okay…”. Rey tries her best to kick her feet but her best is creating huge splashes of water that is starting to sting Ben’s eyes.

“You’re doing great… You can try dipping your head into the water and lifting it up. That will help train your breathing”.

Rey listens attentively and does whatever Ben tells her to. After a few minutes, Rey starts to fell her legs aching and her kicks begin to slow down. Ben notices and lifts her up, bridal style. “Wait! What are you doing!?!?!”.

“You’re exhausted and we’re getting out now”.

“No! I’m fine! Put me down right now! Let’s continue the lesson!”.

“ _Sigh_ … Fine… Well, let’s do something relaxing. Try lying on the water”.

Rey furrows her brows, looking confused. “Huh?”.

“Sorry. I mean your back. Here… I’ll show you”. Ben slowly lies on the water with his face up to the sky. “Just lie on your back and relax. Don’t forget to breathe. When you feel tired in the water, you can just float like this. Remember to stretch out your arms and legs”.

“Okay, my turn!”. With Ben’s hand on her back, Rey lies on the water.

“I can feel your body tensing. Relax, Rey”. After a few seconds, he can feel Rey taking a deep breath and her body relaxes. Ben slowly removes his hand from her back and he can’t help but smile that Rey is succeeds with floating on her back.

“Am I doing this right? Ben?”.

“Why don’t you open your eyes to find out? You’ve been keeping them closed ever since we started this floating lesson”.

Rey opens her eyes and sees the clear blue sky. “Ben, I did it! I actually did it!”.

“Haha, yeah you did. I’m so proud of you! But you have to relax. You’re getting a little too excited”.

“Oops, you’re right. Sorry… This is amazing! I’m actually floating on water. Thanks, Ben!”.

“You’re most welcome”.

Suddenly, he hears a rumble. He looks to the sky but sees no dark clouds. So, he looks back at Rey who has scrunched up her face and her cheeks turning pink. “Ermm, sorry. That was my stomach. I guess with all these lessons, I got hungry really quickly”.

Ben chuckles, “Haha, that sure was loud. We forgot our towels. I’ll run back to the house to get them”. Ben hurries out of the water but turns back to look at Rey. “Stay here but remember to not venture off to the deep!”.

“Got it!”. Rey stands up in the water and sees Ben running towards the house. She turns her head towards the middle of the lake and smirks. What can a little exploration do to the “last jedi”?

In the house, Ben runs to their bathroom and grabs both their towels. He rushes down the stairs and suddenly feels dizzy. The bond. It somehow opened and he hears Rey’s frantic cries. He can hear her screaming his name. “Rey!”.

Ben sprints to the lake and drops the towels next to his shirt. He runs into the water and sees Rey almost in the middle of the lake. He can see her head going up and down the water and her hands are waving all over the place. Ben quickly stretches his hand and use the force to hold Rey and propel her out of the water. It happened so quickly that Rey flew right out of the water and right into his arms.

Rey is conscious and coughing. He bends Rey over and pats her back to help her cough out the water. He grabs her towel to wrap her up like a gift. “What were you thinking! You could have drowned! I told you not to go deeper into the lake! Stars, Rey! You’re going to give me a heart attack!”.

Rey cries and cries. She was so stupid. She thought that after today’s lesson, she’s considered to be an advanced swimmer. Rey was proven wrong. “I’m… sorry… Ben… Please don’t… be… angry…”.

Ben hugs her tight. “Rey, please. Don’t ever do that again. Please… I could have lost you”.

Rey cries even louder. She forgot that she promised to not leave Ben again but today’s incident could’ve broken that promise. Ben could have been left alone and it will be her fault. Her own mistake that would lead to her death. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”.

Once Rey has calmed down a little, Ben puts on his shirt and wraps himself in his own towel. Rey is still shaken up and so he carries her, bridal style, back to the house. Their walk was in silence as neither knows what to say to each other. He walks back to their room and places her on the bathroom floor. He turns on the warm water to fill up the bathtub.

Ben waits and waits while the bathtub starts to fill. It was pure silence between them until the bathtub is full. “The water is warm. Get in and clean up. I’ll take a shower in the other bathroom”.

Rey says with a soft voice, almost like a whisper, “Okay… thank…”. Before she could thank Ben, he walks out of the bathroom and closes the door. Ben was utterly disappointed with her and how can she blame him. He warned her, she didn’t listen.

Rey takes off her clothes and settles in the warm bath. It’s nice, calming and yet, she tugs her knees to her chest. She covers her face with her hands and after a few seconds, Rey cries again. She has really messed up.

In the other bathroom, Ben takes a shower. As the warm water flows from top to bottom, Ben can’t stop the images of Rey struggling in the water. He didn’t know if he could swim to her in time but thank the stars for the force. It was terrifying. Ben grits his teeth and slams his fist into the wall. Rey would be the death of him.

After showering, Ben heads back to their room and puts on a shirt and sweatpants. He can still hear Rey in the bathroom. He sits by the edge of their bed and stares at their closed bathroom door. He could’ve lost her today. Ben looks down to the floor and presses his palms to his eyes.

After much crying and sobbing, Rey finally steps out of the bathtub and puts on a bathrobe. While drying her hair, she felt a slight sting in her heart and it starts to ache. She runs out of the bathroom and sees Ben covering his face. Rey throws herself at Ben and hugs him tightly. “Ben… I’m so sorry…”.

Ben removes his hands from his face and hugs Rey back and weeps onto her neck. It really was a horrible ordeal for the both of them. They’ve recently found each other and today, they’ve almost lost each other. Rey untangles her and stood between Ben’s legs. She cups his cheeks and wipes away the tears that flow from his eyes.

They just stare into each other. No words have to be spoken between them. Other than the force or their bond, their eyes are able to communicate messages that can only be understood by each other and no one else. Rey slowly lowers her forehead and rests on his for a minute. Then, her lips finally land on his lips.

Time stops for the both of them. It was a long lingering kiss that none wants to pull away. Their eyes closed and their lips sealed. Rey is the first to pull away but her eyes never left Ben’s face. Ben opens his eyes and sees Rey. Her eyes telling him that she is very sorry and she regrets what she did to him.

Ben holds her hand and pulls her onto the bed and under the sheet. None of them have the appetite for lunch. It has been a hectic day and they both need a good rest. Ben pulls Rey next to him and she rests her head and one hand on his chest. He then brings his hand over hers and holds it tightly, never letting her go. They both breathe in unison and their world fades to black.

After an hour, Ben wakes up to the sound of soft snores. He shifts a little and sees that Rey’s sleeping position was still the same. Her head is still on his chest. He lowers himself to give her head a kiss. Rey stirs a little but goes back to sleep. Ben turns to see the clock in his room. It’s 1.30pm and he’s starving. He thinks, “Guess my appetite’s back”.

Ben carefully wiggles his way out of bed and tucks Rey in. He gives one last kiss to her forehead and leaves for the kitchen. He finds some cold cuts and cheese in the fridge. He goes to the garden to grab some vegetables to make a hearty soup. “Hmmm, I guess this will do”. He ties his hair up and starts to prepare the vegetables.

After giving them a wash, he starts to peel and chop the carrots with a knife. Suddenly, he feels the life force of two familiar people getting close to his private land. He looks out the kitchen window and stares blankly. “No way… No freaking way… I’m just imagining things”. After a few seconds, his grip on the knife tightens as he feels the 2 life forces getting closer and closer. At the same time, he hears the engine of that “freaking piece of junk” getting louder and louder.

Ben runs to the main door of the house with the knife in hand. He takes a deep breath and opens the door. The Millennium Falcon has landed and he sees the hatch opening. Two figures walk down the ship. A brown furry one and a figure wearing a bright yellow top and a cape. Ben sees the two figures turning their heads to his direction and he can’t help but slam the door shut.

An older male’s voice says, “Did he just??? I know I’m getting old but my eyes have never failed me. Did my nephew just slam the door on us? And was that a knife in his hand???”.

The other figure growls, “ _Can’t blame him_. _The last time I saw him… well, I shot the kid…_ ”.

The older man facepalms. “Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I heard what happened. You did what you had to do but yeah. Guess that event was the only way to give the kid a wakeup call”.

In the house, Ben is huffing and puffing as he leans back on the door. Not only did he lock the door but he’s using his brute strength and the force to keep the door shut. He hears their footsteps nearing the door is, “ _Knock knock knock_. Is this the home of Ben Solo?”.

Ben refuses to say a word. He just hopes that they leave. He will never confront them. After all that he did. To his dad. To his mum. How can he face these two people who were like family to him?

“You wouldn’t want to keep an old man standing out here all day, huh? I’m sure your parents must have taught you some manners”.

The furry figure growls, “ _Shut it, old man! Han never teaches him anything except for flying! Leia and I did all the work_ ”.

As Ben hears the two arguing, he can’t help but give a slight smile as he remembers the good old days.

“Hey Ben. We heard about what you did with Rey and I’m… we… are so proud of you. Can’t you open the door so that we can talk. I know that I wasn’t there for you when you were struggling with the force but now… We want to be here for you right now. We’re so sorry, Ben. For everything. For all the things that you had to go through”.

The furry figure whines, “I’m sorry, Ben. I should have done more for you. I should have fought back and to tell them that you shouldn’t have gone to Luke. Please, let’s just talk this out”.

Ben drops the knife, slides down the door and lands on the floor. He can’t stop the tears that flow from his eyes. He tries to muffle his cries so that the two outside his house doesn’t hear. He then hears the two say in unison, “ _Welcome home, little Ben_ ”, “Welcome home, little Starfighter”.

Ben wobbles his way to stand up and he uses the force to unlock and open the door. He finally sees the two faces that he swore to never see again. Uncle Chewie and Uncle Lando. He doesn’t say a word but throws himself at them for a hug.

Chewie cries out loud and encircles everyone in a hug. “ _We missed you so much, little Ben!_ ”.

“I can’t believe we’ve finally found you! And you’re here of all places! Say something, little Starfighter”, Lando cries. He then releases Ben from his tight hug and cups his face. “Let me hear your voice”.

Ben wipes away his tears and looks at Chewie and Lando. He controls his sniffs and Ben finally says with a wide smile, “I’m home!”.

“Damn right you are!”, Lando pats Ben’s back while Chewie ruffles his hair.

This was the sweetest reunion Ben could ever experience. He is finally reunited with his two uncles. He’s happy but deep down, he asks himself if he is worth the happiness. Does he deserve to be happy?

Up in his room, Rey is still tucked in bed with her eyes closed. However, she has a smile on her face. She felt through the force and knows that a family downstairs are finally together again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Ben’s lunch plans have all changed. He now has to cook more especially when there are two extra stomachs to feed. Before Ben starts cooking, he quickly serves his guests some drinks. “Will the both of you be staying long? I’m actually in the middle of preparing lunch until you arrived”.

Lando chuckles, “My boy, that all depends on you. If you’ll have us…”.

“Ermm, yeah sure. Not a problem, I guess… This house is huge. So, you can go pick whichever guest rooms you prefer”.

Lando waves his hand in the air, “Oh if you insist… We’ll stay. Right, Chewie?”.

Chewie roars, “ _Yes, we’ll stay!_ ”.

“Okay. You both stay here at the dining area while I prepare lunch”.

With that, Ben hurries to the kitchen to get cooking. After a good 30 minutes, lunch is ready. Ben brings out the dishes and sets them on the dining table. While setting up the cutleries, he hears light footsteps running down the stairs. “Mhmmm, Ben I can smell that all the way from the room. It smells amazing!”.

“Well well well, look who’s here! Rey, it’s good to see you again!”. And Lando pulls her in for a hug.

“Yes Lando! I’m so glad that you’re here. Alive and well! You too Chewie!”. Chewie joins in for a group hug as well.

Suddenly, Chewie lifts Rey up with his furry paws under her armpits. It’s as if he’s lifting up a child. “Haha, put me down, Chewie!”, Rey giggles.

“ _You don’t really smell like the Rey I know… There’s another scent I smell on you_ ”. Chewie’s eyes narrow down on her.

Rey’s eyes widen. “What… what are you talking about, Chewie? It’s me, Rey. Not some imposter”.

“ _I know you’re Rey. But… You smell like…_ ”, Chewie’s head turns to Ben and it’s now Chewie’s eyes that widen in realization. “ _YOU!_ ”.

Ben drops the cutleries on the table at the same time as Chewie putting Rey back on the floor. “ _Why_ does she smell like you? Explain yourself, Ben Solo!”. Chewie begins to stomp right up to Ben and Ben can’t help it but to walk backwards with his palms facing out to Chewie.

“Look, Chewie. I didn’t do anything to her. I swear! She and I are…”. Ben stops midway and sees Chewie’s eye’s blazing. He knows that it’s a really bad idea to be in the same room with an angry wookie. And so, Ben runs out of the house and heads towards the lake.

Rey has never seen Ben, or even Kylo Ren running away from battle. Well, she wouldn’t really call this a battle. It’s actually a misunderstanding. Before she could say anything to Chewie, Chewie darts out of the house to give chase.

“I guess we should head out as well. We need to stop both of them before one of them gets hurt”, Lando says with a sigh.

Rey gives him a nod and they walk out to the lake. As the lake comes in view, she sees the weirdest thing. It’s as if Ben and Chewie are playing tag. She also starts to hear both of them shouting at each other.

“ _How dare you lay with Rey!_ ”.

“She wanted me to! She needed me! She wasn't well at that time and...”.

“ _I don’t care! She is young and I won’t stand still and watch you mess with her feelings!_ _She has suffered much pain at a very young age compared to you!_ ”.

“I know, Chewie. Just stop chasing me and let me explain before I pass out!”.

Chewie finally catches up to Ben and grabs him by the collar. He lifts Ben up in the air with one paw.

“Put him down, Chewie! I’m sure Rey has her side of the story to tell and I need you to listen to her before you pass judgement on our little Starfighter”, says Lando in a very stern voice. Lando then turns to Rey and gives her a nod, indicating that it’s her time to speak.

“Chewie… listen to me. I’ve been having terrible nightmares and I’m only able to calm down when I have Ben next to me. He makes me feel safe and wanted. He really cares about me and he does his best to erase my doubts. I know that his feelings are true. And so is mine”. Chewie finally breaks his stare at Ben and turns to Rey. “I really care about him, Chewie. He’s precious to me. I like him, a lot. So please, release him”.

Chewie’s breathing slows down to a normal speed and he turns to Ben. “ _Is this true? Do you really like her?_ ”.

“More than anything in the world”, Ben says with a firm voice.

“ _Fine then_ ”. Chewie does his best to show a smile but then comes a smirk.

Ben starts to get nervous. “Chewie…? Chewie, what are you thinking? Wait… Don’t…”. And Chewie tosses Ben into the lake with a great splash!

Lando and Rey shout in unison, “BEN!!!”. They both rush to the edge of the lake and sees a very soaked Ben coming out of the water. Meanwhile, Chewie dusts of his paws and walks back to the house, triumphantly.

After a while, our four heroes finally settle at the dining table, ready to have a bite. Rey and Ben sit next to each other while Lando and Chewie sits opposite them. It is a very quiet and awkward lunch until Lando tries to get a conversation rolling. “Solo, please pass the pepper. I like my food spicy!”, Lando smirks.

Ben blushes while passing the pepper to Lando. Ben knows that Lando is subtly making fun of him and so he refuses to make any eye contact with both his uncles. Rey could feel through the bond that Ben is terribly nervous. She sneaks up her hand to hold his under the table and gives him a squeeze.

Ben responds by giving her a squeeze and brushes his thumb over her hand. Ben huffs out a breath which he himself didn’t realise he was holding. His body slowly relaxes and he crosses his leg under the table. His eyes widen as he realised that he accidentally brushed a furry leg. He slowly lifts his eyes to look at Chewie.

Chewie who has been keeping an eye on Ben felt a leg brush over his. He slowly sees Ben looking at him with an apologetic face. Chewie quickly stands up bangs his fists onto the table. “ _Are the two of you now playing footsie!?!?!_ ”.

Ben panics. “No! Stars… No Chewie. I just wanted to cross my leg and my really long leg accidently touched yours”.

Rey chimes in, “Chewie, Ben is telling the truth. He has been nervous throughout lunch and he’s struggling to swallow his food. Unlike you who finished in a blink of an eye. It’s unfair that you’re spying on us!”.

“Rey’s right. Chewie, you have to calm down and give these two some space”, Lando says.

“Why are you doing this to me, Chewie? To us?!?!? I’m not some little kid anymore”, Ben finally gathered some courage to argue back.

“ _You are still a kid to me! You will always be my Little Ben! Your parents are not here anymore to watch you! It’s just me and Lando! This is now my responsibility to take care of you and I will not disappoint your parents!_ ”, Chewie shouts at Ben.

Ben stood up and his hands by his sides curls up into a ball. He curled them up so tightly that his nails begin to sink into his palms. Ben says softly, “I… I didn’t ask for any of this…”. But then raises his voice in frustration and everything on the dining table started to shake aggressively. “When I needed **them** , I called but **they** ignored me! But when I didn’t need **them** , **he** came and got himself killed! **She** ‘came’ and called my name but died! I didn’t ask for any of this to happen! I don’t need the both of you!”.

Rey got up from her seat and places her hands on his arm. “Ben, look at me! Just look at me! Please…”.

In all his anger, he shakes off Rey’s hands and continues his argument while his eyes darts from Chewie to Lando and to Rey. “I don’t need anybody! I’m fine on my own!!!”.

Rey froze and looks at Ben. Her hands were about to hold him but when she heard his last few words, she drops her hands to her sides and stares at Ben with fear in her eyes. Did he really mean what he says? He doesn’t need anybody? Not even her?

Ben doesn’t even notice that Rey is looking at him because his eyes are on Chewie. He doesn’t know that his words have affected Rey. With all the pent-up emotions, Ben excuses himself and runs up to his room. The last thing those who were downstairs could hear is a door slamming shut.

Rey looks towards the stairs and says, “I’ll go talk to him”. As she takes her first few steps, Lando grabs her by the arm to stop her and says, “You stay here with Chewie. Wash the dishes or something. I’ll go and talk to my nephew”. Rey wants to protest but knows that this is a family issue. She nods back at Lando and gathers the cutleries for washing.

Lando reaches Ben’s door and knocks. “Ben… Open the door and let this poor man in. We need to talk”. Sometimes Ben thinks that Lando has the force as he can sound very convincing and influential. Ben knows that Lando won’t let this go and so he uses the force to open the door.

Lando walks in and sees Ben sitting on the floor, by the bed. He has his knees up, one hand on his knee, one hand over his face. He hears his uncle sit on his bed and Ben says in a soft voice, “Lando, I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I know that Chewie means well… but I’m not some 8-year old kid. It’s not that I don’t want any of you in my life. You both are the closest thing I have to as family but I just need some privacy. I really like Rey and I want to do right by her. But I can’t have anybody watching us like a hawk”.

The old man sighs. “You’re right. It’s just that… it’s been hard for Chewie you know. He saw Han die right in front of his eyes. He wasn’t there when Leia took her last breath. It has hurt him a lot. He said to me that he will fly across the galaxy to look for you and to bring you home. He thinks that you are his responsibility now and he wants to make up for the mistakes that he and your parents made”.

“I know… I’m so sorry Uncle Lando…”. Ben begins to sob heavily. “I’m so so sorry for killing my parents, my uncle… for killing your friends… I’m so sorry…”. Lando kneels next to Ben and embraces him in a big hug.

“It’s not your fault, my boy. It was Snoke. He did this to you and your family”.

“But I had a choice. Everyone has a choice to decide to do what’s right and I did the opposite. I’m so sorry…”.

“Ben, whatever you did is a huge mistake that I know you regret. But I forgive you… I understand why you did it”. Those words rang in Ben’s ears. He looks up to see Lando smiling down at him. “I forgive you, my Starfighter”.

Ben knows that he doesn’t deserve mercy. He doesn’t deserve forgiveness for killing his family. But somehow, Lando’s words lifted a weight off his chest and he feels lighter. “Thank you, Uncle Lando”, Ben smiles.

Lando takes his time to stand up with the help of Ben. “Now, I think you owe someone else an apology”.

Ben looks out his door and says, “Yeah, I know. I need to apologize to Chewie and have a talk with him”.

“Not just him”. Lando places a hand on Ben’s shoulder. “Rey… What you said earlier about you not needing anyone… it really shook her to the core. I heard about her life before she joined the Resistance. I can tell that there’s fear in her eyes that she will be left alone again”.

“Then I have to talk to her first!”. Ben rushes out the door but Lando was quick to hold his arm.

“No! Right now, you talk to Chewie. He is your uncle. He is family. Rey… well… she’s not family **yet** , and I know you care about her. But I’m sure she will understand that this is a family affair and it takes priority”.

Ben tenses at what Lando said. How can he leave Rey like this? A hundred and one things must be going through her mind and now he has to talk to Chewie first. He feels as though his brain is getting fried there and then. He takes a deep breath and calms himself down. “Fine, I’ll talk to Chewie first”.

As they both head down to the kitchen, Ben sees the backs of his dyad and furry uncle at the sink. They are both washing the dishes but there’s just dead silence between them. How many more people must get hurt? Especially those around him who are important? He vowed to never hurt them, ever again. It’s not like he’s using a saber or the force. It’s his words that are tearing people apart.

He doesn’t want to lose any of them and so he must rebuild those bridges that he broke. He wants his family back. He wants his Rey back.

“ _Ahem_ , Uncle Chewie? Can I talk to you for a moment?”. Chewie finishes the last plate and turns around to look at Ben. Rey does the same thing. Ben sees their eyes. Sadness, grief, regret, and fear. Chewie nods and walks out of the kitchen and heads to the garden. Ben looks at Rey and says, “You know that you’re important to me, right? We’ll talk after this but first, I need to clear things up with my uncle”.

Rey nods and only says two words, “I know”.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. Been suddenly busy but thanks to all those who are still with me in this story!

**Chapter 10**

As Ben walks out to the garden, he places himself next to Chewie. “I’m sorry, Uncle Chewie. For everything that I’ve done. But I will not apologize for trying to be happy”. Ben pauses and clenches his fists. He tries to calm down but his voice breaks in sadness. “I know that I don’t deserve forgiveness from you or the galaxy but can’t I deserve just a little bit of happiness? Rey sees the good in me and she didn’t give up on me. I feel alive and happy when I’m with her. I’m a better person when I’m with her”.

There was a moment of silence. As Ben turns to look at Chewie, he was suddenly pulled in a big wookie hug. “ _That’s all I ever wanted, Little Ben. It’s just that… I was really disappointed with your parents and Luke at how they treated you! I’m sorry I abandoned you too! Right now, I feel like I have to be the parent that you deserve_ ”.

Ben cries into Chewie’s shoulder, “You and Lando will always be family to me. I will do better from now on. I promise”. Ben release his hold on Chewie and looks him in the eye, “But will you allow me to be with Rey? Please? I promise that I won’t break her heart. I know she’s important to you and I promise, I won’t abandon her like what my parents did to me”.

Chewie looks into Ben’s eyes. Behind those tears, he sees a fire of love and care that Ben has for Rey. He knows that Ben is serious about Rey and is confident that Ben will try his very best to not let her down. “ _Okay, Little Starfighter. I believe you. I’ll try…_ ”. Chewie takes a deep breath before he finishes his line. “ _not to interfere with your relationship…_ ”.

Ben couldn’t believe what he just heard. He gives Chewie the widest smile and hugs him tightly. “Thank you, Chewie!”.

After their one to one talk, they both head back to the house. It was now time for Ben to talk to Rey. As he entered the house, he only sees Lando. “Where’s Rey?”.

“She’s up in the room. You better go talk to her”.

“I know. Thanks again, Uncle Lando. Uncle Chewie. I’ll be right back”.

Ben could sense Rey’s force signature. She’s in their room. As he enters, he sees her on the bed, leaning against their headboard with her knees pulled up to her chest. “Rey?”.

She looks surprised to see him back. He guesses that a lot of things have been on her mind that she couldn’t even sense him. “Oh, you’re back! How did it go with Chewie?”.

Ben walks towards her and sits by her side. “Yeah it went alright but now I just want to talk about us”. He gently takes both her hands in his and looks straight into her beautiful hazel eyes. “I know that I said some horrible things earlier and I’m really sorry. I was angry and I said those stupid things. It was directed at those two but I know I shouldn’t have said them anyways. I’m sorry Rey. You are everything to me and I don’t think I can live without you”.

As Rey listens to Ben’s words, her eyes become watery and she starts to sob. “I… I don’t want to lie to you. I really became so scared. Plutt’s words came back to my head saying that I’m a nobody and no one wants me. That I’ll be abandoned again and again. That I’m not needed”.

Seeing Rey cry is the worst thing that he can do to her. He pulls her in for a hug and lets her no that he will not let her go. She will never be alone again. “I’m sorry, Rey. I’m so sorry. You’re not a nobody. You have no idea how much I want you. I need you more than you could ever know”.

Rey felt warm and protected as Ben embraces her. She felt so small compared to his big body but despite their size difference, they were a perfect fit.

After all the commotion, time went by. They had afternoon tea by the lake and a scrumptious dinner prepared by Ben and Rey. Chewie and Lando decides to stay for a few nights in the house to have a good catch-up with their nephew. Before they knew it, their first night together as a family has finally arrived.

**In Ben’s room.**

“How did it turn out this way?”, Ben thinks. He’s lying on the floor while staring up to the ceiling. How in the world did Ben end up sleeping on the floor? It was half an hour ago when he showed his uncles to their respective guest rooms. He greeted them goodnight and he headed back to his own room. Both he and Rey washed up and finally settled in bed. After a good 20 minutes especially when he was about to fall into a deep sleep, he hears someone knocking his door.

Rey stirs in his arms and mumbles, “I sense Lando and Chewie. I wonder if something happened…”.

Ben touches her cheek, “Shhh… Go back to sleep. I’ll see what’s going on”. Ben get up to walk to the door and opens it. “Hey, what’s up?”.

“ _Little Ben! My bed isn’t comfy. Let me use your bed!_ ”, Chewie cries.

“Little Starfighter! My bed squeaks. I can’t sleep with all the noise! Give me your bed”, Lando whines.

“Wait!!! Hold up! There are tonnes of fully furnished bedrooms in this house. Go find one that suits you!”.

Rey hears Ben raise his voice, “Ben? It’s fine, your bed is big enough for the both of them. It’s late, we can find a better room for them tomorrow. Let them sleep here”.

“What? No! This is just not MY room. It’s OUR room. I’m not letting them sleep on OUR bed!”.

“Ben, it’s fine. It’s just a bed. We’ll just sleep on the floor”.

Lando and Chewie grin at each other. Lando says happily, “Thank you so much Rey. I knew you are a kind young woman who cares for her guests. Thank goodness my nephew has someone like you. This is like the good ol’days when we had sleepovers. We’ll bring over the pillows and comforters from our original bedroom. We’ll be back in a second!”. And they both disappeared in a blink of an eye.

Ben growls, “Rey… Why would you do that? Don’t you know that they’re playing around with us again!”.

“Haha, yeah I know. This is so much fun! I’ve never had a sleepover. It sounds fun!”.

“Rey, I wouldn’t consider this as a sleepover. This is terrorism! They are terrorizing us! What happened to all the talks about giving us space? About not coming between our relationship?”.

“Relax, Ben. It will all be over before you know it”.

Yeah. Like that will ever happen. Now back to the present, Ben is lying on the floor, facing the right side of the bed. He’s nice and warmly wrapped up but this isn’t the kind of warmth that he wants. His source of warmth is way over at the opposite side of the room. Rey’s sleeping there, but on the floor as well. Somehow or rather, both Lando and Chewie sneakily directed Ben and Rey to sleep on opposite sides. That was “their way” of a sleepover.

Ben sighs and vows that the first thing he does when he wakes up is to test out all the beds in the house and he’ll finally get his uncles their own private rooms. Also, he’ll have to change the bedsheets so that both Rey and him wouldn’t have to breathe in the smell of old men.

The sun has finally risen and Ben was still in deep sleep. He had so many things running through his mind that he probably fell into deep sleep at 4am in the morning. He didn’t hear his uncles and Rey waking up. I was only until Rey walked into the room and rubbed his shoulders. “Hey, Ben. I think it’s time to wake up. C’mon. Lando and Chewie finished making breakfast”.

Ben mumbles, “Huh? Oh… Yeah okay. I’ll be right there. Beds… and bedsheets…”.

Rey giggles, “Haha, beds and bedsheets? Ben… are you okay?”.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll come down in 10 minutes”.

Rey plants a kiss on his cheeks and runs down to the kitchen. Ben smiles and he quickly washes up in the bathroom and puts on a clean shirt and pants.

During breakfast, he could see Lando and Chewie sneakily glancing at him. It was as if they’re planning something else for Ben. Ben rolls his eyes. “Look, uncles. I know last night was on purpose but after breakfast, I will go into all the rooms and literally roll on the beds to test out its quality. I will list down all the good ones and you need to swear that from tonight onwards, you will sleep in the rooms you’ve picked. Our room is not an option anymore”.

Chewie pouts, “ _Awww, you can’t do that to us! I know it wasn’t what you wanted, Ben. But wasn’t our sleepover fun, Rey?_ ”.

“Yeah, it was great!”.

Lando chimes in, “See, Ben? Rey loved our little sleepover!”.

Rey sees Ben fisting his hands and she quietly places her hand on his thigh, “Ermm, yes it was fun but I think Ben and I need our own space from now on”.

Lando and Chewie look at each other and knew they failed to have a bit more fun with Ben. “Well, if our young woman wants it that way, they I guess we gotta obey! Right, Chewie?”. Chewie nods with a smirk.

Ben rolls his eyes again. He can’t stand that they’ll only listen to what Rey says. But then again, he guesses that they are accepting her as family now. She’s their favourite niece.

After breakfast, Rey helped clean the dishes while Ben runs up to the second floor to complete his mission in finding the perfect beds for his uncles. After a good 45 minutes of rolling, bouncing, shaking, and writing down a checklist, his uncles finally decided on the rooms.

Rey walks into their bedroom and sees the bedsheets changed and everything was neat and tidy. She also sees Ben lying on the floor with his arms and legs stretched wide. His eyes are closed but she knows he can sense her coming in. She quietly closes the door and locks it. She sneakily walks towards him and crawls over his body just to lay on top of him.

“Hey there. You’ve worked really hard this morning”, Rey says with a wide smile.

Ben swings an arm over her back and opens his eyes to look at her. “Hey. Yeah, tough morning testing out all those beds. I’m exhausted but that’s okay. What do you want to do today?”.

“Hmmm, nothing much really. I just thought of spending more time with you. Ooooh maybe we could practice with our sabers!”.

“Our sabers? They’re practically yours. They both called out to you”.

“Well, that’s partially true but didn’t Luke’s saber feel right in your hands?”.

Ben opens his eyes and sees Rey staring back at him. “ _Sigh…_ It did. Fine, we’ll do that after lunch. Let’s just stay in this position a little while longer”, Ben smirks.

“You’re nasty, Ben Solo! Fine fine…”. Rey rests her head on top of his chest and listens to his heartbeat. She feels Ben tightening his arms around her and they fall into a light sleep.

Lunch has passed and our two force wielders are battling out by the lake. They are both being watched by their uncles who are sitting on the grass in a safe distance. The uncles can hear Ben shouting at Rey to watch her footing.

“It’s a dance, Rey! Rely on the force and your eyes. These two elements will guide you. You’ll be able to pinpoint what my next moves are”.

“Okay!”. Rey is on defence as she swings her saber to block Ben’s attacks.

“That’s it! You’re doing a great job, Rey!”.

Rey hears his praise and her ears perk up like an animal. “I am!?!?!”.

Rey got distracted and didn’t see Ben’s saber coming right to her neck. He stops himself just before it slices her. “Don’t get distracted! Stars, Rey! I could’ve almost sliced you”.

“Oops, sorry! I just got so excited that you praised me. Okay, okay. Let’s do it again”.

Ben sighs and gets into formation. Before he could move his feet towards Rey, they both sense a ship coming towards their house. Chewie and Lando sees Ben looking up to the sky and they quickly got up to stand beside Ben and Rey.

Lando asks, “What’s wrong, my boy. Is someone coming?”.

“Yes. 5 people on a ship are arriving soon. I don’t sense any hostility in them”.

After a few minutes, the ship lands in front of them and a man walks out with 4 guards behind him. “Good afternoon, I am a messenger of the Queen and she sends her regards to all of you. Here is a letter from her and she’d love it if you would all accept her invitation”. With just those few words, the messenger hands the letter to Ben and walks back to his ship to fly off.

“Well, that was awkward”, Rey says. “So, what does it say?”.

Ben opens and reads the letter. “Looks like the Queen wants us to have a family dinner with her tonight and it is followed by an important family meeting”.

Chewie looks over Ben’s shoulder and sees the Queen’s handwriting. “ _Haha, she even bolds the word, ‘family’! She’s funny_ ”.

“Well, then. I guess we will have our own dinner, isn’t that right Chewie, Rey…”.

“Ermm, not so fast Uncle Lando”. Ben flips the invitation around and sees another sentence. “She says, P.S. family includes Rey, Chewie and Lando”.

“Me??? But I’m not family!”, Rey questions.

“I guess the Queen acknowledges you as family”, Ben smiles.

“Wow… I can’t wait to thank her!”.

Our 4 heroes get themselves ready for the evening and they flew in the Falcon to the Queen’s private residence. They are greeted with the same messenger who guides them into the Queen’s dining hall.

Rey’s mouth started to water as she sees a wide spread of assorted dishes with many colours from one end of the table to the other. Ben sees Rey and couldn’t help but chuckle at her reaction. He bends down to whisper in her ear, “You’re so cute, Rey. But I don’t want people around us to fall for you. You know that I can be a little possessive”.

Rey blushes and nudges Ben. “I know you’re possessive. You couldn’t take your eyes off me from the moment we met at Takadona”.

During dinner, the Queen told Ben and Rey that she was the one who contacted Lando and Chewie and told them that Ben was here at Naboo. Ben sighed at this but he was thankful that he is reunited with his family. Their dinner was all smiles and laughter. But then came the serious family meeting at the lounge.

The Queen puts down her glass of wine and looks at her audience. “Now on to family business. I’m getting older and I have no husband or children of my own. This planet, my kingdom is in need of leadership”.

Lando asks, “Are you sure there’s no distant relative of yours or at least your most trusted general that might be able to take the role?”.

“I don’t want an outsider, Lando. I want someone in the family. Unfortunately, my siblings and their up and coming generation are a bunch of weasels that are hunger for power. I will pass no such thing to them. They will bring down Naboo in an instant. I need someone young and of calibre. Someone who has experience being a leader. Fair, kind and will protect the people of Naboo”.

Ben dropped his glass of wine but thankfully, Rey caught it with the force and floated it back to the table. He knew where this conversation is going and he can’t act all aloof. “Your highness, there must be some kind of a mistake. You can’t possibly mean…”.

“That’s right, my young prince. I want you, Ben Solo… to be the next king of Naboo”.

To be continued…


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Ben raises his voice, “You’ve got to be kidding me! I’m no king. Newsflash, I was Kylo Ren! Supreme Leader who not only slaughtered billions of people but also killed his own family!”.

The Queen raises her voice as well, “You WERE Kylo Ren! The death of your family wasn’t your fault, Ben Solo! It was all Snoke’s influence. I won’t deny the fact that yes, you impaled your father but again, you were heavily influenced by Snoke. Tell me, do you regret all that you’ve done?”.

Ben looks at the Queen intensely as his hands shook and he whispers, “Yes. I regret it…”.

Lando places a hand on Ben’s thigh. “My boy, all of us here are family and we forgive you for all that you’ve done. I don’t have the force but I believe it is real and all that has happened was for a reason. Right now, if what the Queen says is true, you are the rightful heir for the throne. With your skills and abilities that you have learnt in the First Order… Heck, even learning from your own mother during your younger days, I am sure that you will bring peace and order to not only Naboo but to the whole galaxy”.

Ben looks solemnly at Lando. “You really think I can do this?”. He looks at Chewie and Rey. “Do you believe that I’m the right person for this role?”.

Chewie nods as Rey places her hand over Ben’s hand. “I believe you. I know you can do this. And whatever happens, I’ll always be by your side”.

Ben’s heart flutters as he hears Rey say those words with the gentlest of smiles. “Thank you, all of you. But if it’s okay with you, Your Majesty… Please give me 3 days to think about this”.

“I will. Only 3 days, nothing more than that. Alright then, it’s getting late and I need my beauty sleep. Tata my dearest family!”.

With that, our 4 heroes are escorted out of the premises and they head back to their house. And our lovely couple finally have their room and bed all to themselves. Ben and Rey lay comfortably on the bed, facing each other.

With one hand gently caressing Ben’s face, Rey asks, “Whatever decision that you make, just know that I will always be here for you. I won’t ever leave you. But I’ll just say this… Ben, whatever the force wills, just know that you are great leader. You may have been a terrifying one in the past but you’ve learnt from your mistakes and you’ve turned over a new leaf. I know that you will do good in this galaxy”.

Ben places his hand on hers. “But what if I slip up. What if I will turn back to being Kylo Ren. Rey, as a leader, I may have to do really harsh things. I may get angry and upset. And I don’t want you to see that side of me ever again”.

“I’ll still be by your side. I’ll help and guide you. Chewie and Lando will be with you too. I know politics can be quite complicated… plus being a leader will be a challenge… but I know that you will never slaughter the innocent again. You will never raise a hand on the innocent”. Rey suddenly grins, “Don’t worry. I’ve seen Leia used the force to slam Poe into a tree when he overstepped his boundaries”.

Ben can imagine that and they both started to laugh. “Do you really think that I can be like my mother? Head-strong, passionate, fair…”.

“Yes, I believe that. But remember, you are you. Don’t let anyone tell you who you should be. There are the good and bad aspects of each person. Take the good and learn from the bad. That helps you to grow and find your own identity”.

Ben smiles at what Rey says. “Thank you, Rey”. And he kisses her palm and moves to kiss her forehead. He pulls her in for a cuddle and they both fall asleep.

2 days has passed with much discussion among our 4 heroes. Even though everyone agreed that Ben should take the position, he was still very hesitant. How can Kylo Ren, who now goes by his birthname, Ben Solo, become the king of Naboo. Won’t everyone recognise him if he decides to be king? His face will be shown across the galaxy. Ben sits quietly in the study, thinking about the pros and cons of this situation. This is already the third day and he must decide and let the Queen know.

Ben suddenly stands up from his seat as he feels the force trembling as if trouble was on its way. Rey bursts into the study and she sees Ben with a worried look on his face. They both nod at each other and Rey throws Luke’s saber into his direction. Ben catches it and they both dash out of the study and out of the house. As they were running out of the house, they passed Chewie and Lando who were busy sipping cups of tea. “Uncles, you need to stay in the house no matter what!”.

“Is there a fight, Starfighter?!?!? Then hell no am I staying here. We’re coming with you!”. Both uncles got up and ran out with Ben and Rey. Lando has his blaster (not forgetting his outrageously colourful cape) while Chewie has his bowcaster. Ben couldn’t help but roll his eyes and chuckle at his uncles. This is the first time that he has his uncles fighting alongside him.

A ship lands next to theirs and three figures come running out with blasters in their hands. Chewie roars, “ _Hide my Little Ben!_ ”. With that, Chewie and Lando stood in front of Ben and Rey to shield them. At the same time, Rey forced Ben to crouch behind his uncles.

Ben speaks to Rey in the force, “What are you trying to do to me? Ben Solo doesn’t hide from a battle! Who’s here and what do they want?”.

Rey responds through the force, “For once, just shut it and hide okay? These people who arrived… well, they’re angry and want to fight but beyond that, they’re just worried. They’re my friends…”.

“You friends? Rey, I felt it in the force. They’re here to hurt us, or more like hurt me. Well… hurting me means hurting you so yes. They will hurt both of us. I don’t want that!”.

“Yes, fine! They will hurt both of us but please, let me talk it out with them. Please? Just stay behind Lando and Chewie while I sort things out with them”.

Ben looks into Rey’s eyes and sees that she will not back down. She will do whatever it takes to protect him and to protect her friends. “Fine… But if I see them raising a blaster at you, I will not hesitate to put them down”.

As the 3 figures comes face to face with Lando and Chewie, the scruffy faced man starts talking. “Guess we’ve finally found you both! Did you think turning off the Falcon’s tracker won’t allow us to find you? Well think again. It got pretty weird at basecamp that the two of you spent so much time together, privately, and suddenly you wanted to take a long holiday away from the Resistance. Thought you would have invited us but no. How disappointing”.

Lando hooks his blaster back at his hip and says, “Well, it is a family holiday for both Chewie and me. We wanted to reminisce the good old days that we had with Han, Leia and Luke”. Lando chuckled and then his face became serious and he spoke with a firm and low voice. “Anyway, how did you find us. Like you said, we turned off the tracker and we double checked the Falcon for any other trackers”.

The young lady spoke, “On the day that you left, I’m sure you remember that your goodbyes took a very long time. In that moment, I sneaked into the Falcon and planted a tracker. It was at the very last second and I was very sure that you didn’t want to waste any more time to get to your holiday destination”.

“Hmmm, smart girl. So hooray, you’ve found us. And now what can we do for you?”.

The dark-skinned figure finally speaks, “Tell us why you’re here. Are you looking for Rey too? If you have any information, please tell us where she is”.

As Rey heard those words from her best friend, she couldn’t help but sob quietly. Chewie roars, “ _If you’re looking for Rey, she’s not…_ ”.

Rey shows herself and stands beside Chewie. “I’m here, Finn”. Finn drops his blaster on the grass and runs towards Rey but she puts her palm out to stop him from coming close to her. “Stop, just wait… A lot has happened in the past few days and I just want you all to know that I’m okay. I’m happy with the person I’m with and where I am right now. Please, just be open-minded about what I’m about to tell and show you. Can you at least do that for me?”.

The 3 uninvited guests raised their eyebrows in confusion and a million questions went through their heads. How is she alive? Finn felt her die. Why does she say she’s happy with who and where she is? Naboo has nothing to do with her? Doesn’t she consider the 3 of them family? Why didn’t she return to the Resistance? Her real family?

Rey can sense their confusion and she begins her explanation. “Guys, I’m not who you think I am. I recently found out that my grandfather is actually Emperor Palpatine. I’m a Palpatine. I know it’s hard to believe but97 it’s the truth. My parents didn’t abandon me. They left to protect me but they were murdered in the end. That’s how I ended up at Jakku. After Han’s death, I had this strange connection with someone from the First Order and we spoke a lot. We spoke, we fought, we bonded… We found out that we’re a dyad in the force. Two that are one. He’s like my other half. A part of me that has been missing and that we’ve finally found each other. Please, just give him a chance to explain himself. I know he has done terrible things but he's good now. He’s on our side”. Rey gestures her hand to let Ben know that it’s time for him to show himself.

As he stood up behind Chewie and Lando, our 3 guests raised their blasters at him. Despite not being able to see his face clearly, Poe and Finn will never miss Ben’s towering and broad figure. Not to mention his black raven hair. When Chewie and Lando saw their reactions, they too raised their weapons, pointing at Poe, Finn and Rose.

Poe shouted, “What is this? Why is he here? He’s supposed to be dead, just like the rest of the First Order! Rey… don’t tell me! You saved him? You brought him here? He’s your other half in the force?”.

“C’mon Rey. He isn’t who you think he is! He’s Kylo Ren! You saw him murder his own father! How could you side with him!?!?!”, Finn cried.

Rey ignited her saber and stepped in front of Ben to protect him. “You don’t understand. He’s changed. You have to believe me!”.

Poe screamed back at Rey. “No freaking way! This is unbelievable. Step aside Rey. We have to arrest him!”.

Rose finally found her voice and speaks, “Rey, is this true? You’re siding with Kylo Ren?”.

“Kylo Ren is no more. He is now Ben Solo. Please, Rose. You have to believe me”.

Rose sees Rey’s eyes and knows she is telling the truth. And this truth hurts Rose deeply. Rose’s hands began to tremble and Ben took quick notice of it. He was instantly in front of Rey to shield her just in case Rose’s accidentally misfires. With that act of love and protectiveness, Rose also took notice of that. She locks her blaster and places it back on her hip.

Ben finally releases his breath which he didn’t even notice that he was holding in and his protective stance relaxes. Rey moved to stand next to him and places her hand on his arm and tells him to relax. Rose sees Ben and Rey exchange a few words, nods and gazes. She knows that these two really care for one another and that everyone deserves a second chance. No matter how terrible they were in the past.

Finn looked alarmed when he saw Rose withdrawing her weapon and he stood in front of her. “Rose, what are you doing? Defend yourself with your blaster right now!”.

“No. I’m not going to raise my weapon at Rey… or Ben Solo…”, Rose sighs.

Poe rolls his eyes. “You’ve got to be joking. Rose, he’s a criminal! Wait… Ben Solo… Stars! The rumours were true! Finn, buddy… remember what we heard at the rest-stop? People were saying that a new young king will be elected in Naboo and his name was either Ben or Benny or Bens… No freaking way!!!”.

Finn looks at Ben and asks, “Is this true? All of it?”.

“Yes. Rest assure that I have not hurt Rey, Chewie or Lando while they were here with me. And yes, the Queen dropped a huge bomb on me few days ago, asking that I must take her place as the next ruler of Naboo. Any more questions?”, Ben says in a very sarcastic tone.

“Ben!!!”, Rey nudges him. Clearly, she didn’t like how he sounded to her friends. “Look, guys. I know this is a lot to take in but can we talk about this back inside the house? We’re going to be in so much trouble if the Queen…”.

Before Rey could finish her sentence, two ships landed on Ben’s property and 2 dozen of soldiers marched out and circled Poe, Finn and Rose while pointing their weapons at them. The Queen walks down the ramp and speaks in a very terrifying voice. “How dare you! I allowed you access to Naboo because you Resistance people said you come in peace but you dare point your blasters at our future King! Lower your weapons this instance!!!”.

“No can do Your Majesty. This guy is no king. He is a murderer. Destroyer of planets and stars. How can you side yourself with a psychopath? We’re the heroes of the war he led. You should be asking your men to point blaster at him instead!”, Poe answers the Queen.

The soldiers looked at one another in confusion. Murderer? Destroyer of planets? Who is this Ben Solo? Ben and Rey senses that this showdown will not end unless one of them says something. Ben walks to the Queen and gets down on one knee. “Your Majesty. I believe I still have time till the end of this day to decide on your offer. But first, can I have our 3 guests to be allowed to stay at Naboo for the time being. They are Rey’s friends and I have a few things to discuss with them”.

“First lesson my boy, never bow to anyone. Not even to me”. Ben rises and looks straight at the Queen. “Fine, I’ll let them stay. We can all head back to your house and talk but I want their weapons confiscated. I’ll have my guards surround the perimeter”. As the Queen begins to walk back to Ben’s house with him following her from behind, she stops and turns around to look at Poe. “By the way, it wasn’t your Resistance who saved the galaxy. Lando arrived with his people while Ben and Rey were the ones who stopped Palpatine. Get your facts right”.

With that, the Queen resumes her walk to the house. Ben couldn’t help but smile gently at what she said. Rey quickly turned away from her friends to walk beside Ben and at the same time slipping her hand in his. Poe and Finn notices and their jaws drop. It is only Rose who gives a sad smile. She knows what Kylo Ren has done and it will be hard to forgive him but at the same time, she stands by her principle that ‘we save what we love’.

In the house, Ben and Rey quickly prepares tea and biscuits for their guests. When tea is served, Rey begins her explanation from A to Z. From the time that their bond emerged, to the part that she found out that she’s a Palpatine, how she fought Ben and that they felt Leia’s death, how she healed him despite their differences, how he came to stand by her side to defeat Palpatine, how she almost died, and that Ben saved her.

It was hard to believe her story but what more can her friends say. This is the hard truth. “So, do you believe me? Do you trust me that Ben has turned to the light?”, Rey asks.

Ben slips his hand into hers and give it a light squeeze. “I know that this doesn’t change the fact that I did those terrible things and I’m truly sorry. I’m sorry for wrecking your mind, Dameron. I’m sorry for slicing your back, FN…”, Rey quickly elbows Ben. “ _ouch…_ Finn”. Ben turns to Rose and says, “And I’m sorry if I’ve taken away someone close to you… I…”.

Rose clutches her pants tightly. “You took my sister away from me. She was part of the bomb squad when we attacked a team attacked your ships”.

Ben remembers this. Hux was in charge of that battle and based on the report, Hux said that they were pulling out when they saw the huge amount of Resistance fighters and their bombs. “I know that this may sound as an excuse but I wasn’t there at that time. But I am very sorry for your loss…”.

Rey sees Ben struggling with his emotions and she gently holds his hand. “The First Order took a lot from us but you have to understand that it was all Snoke’s influence. It was all the dark side. Ben is really sorry for all that he has done and what he was part of and it will never bring back those we have lost. Right now, he wants to do good. To repent by serving the people, the galaxy, and this might be the only way. For him to be the next ruler of Naboo. Please…please give him a chance”.

Rey’s eyes start to water as she begs her friends to give Ben a chance. Finn sighs and looks at Rose. She, too, is in a dilemma. Rose’s supposed words of wisdom echo in his mind. We save what we love and he can tell that Rey truly and deeply loves Ben. He sighs again and looks at Ben straight in the eye.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Finn sees the eyes of his best friend and sighs. He puts his hand together and looks down to the floor. He knows that Rey is telling the truth but at the same time, he can’t fully trust Kylo Ren/Ben. Finn remembers Kylo Ren executing the order to kill a village. He saw Kylo Ren kill his own father. He recalls the time he got slashed on the back by that terrifying red saber. It is true that everyone deserves a chance, to turn over a new leaf and rebuild all that was broken. But can he really, truly trust the man in front of him that is now called Ben Solo. Finn sighs again and looks at Rey, “Rey, I know where you’re coming from but part of me can’t fully trust him. I will give him a chance to do good but don’t blame me for having my guard up”.

Rey’s eyes light up and she gives Finn a tight hug. “Thank you so much, Finn. This really means a lot to me! Thank you thank you thank you!”.

As Finn gets hugged by Rey, he looks toward Ben and gives him a stern warning. “Kylo… _ahem…_ Ben, don’t ever go back on your word. You do all the good that you can and bring peace to Naboo and to the entire galaxy. At the same time, don’t you ever hurt Rey. She’s my best friend. Stars, she’s like a sister to me. If you ever hurt her, I’ll be coming for you”.

Ben sits up straight and gives a firm nod to Finn. Suddenly, Rose stands up and walks toward Ben. With teary eyes, Rose says, “You killed so many people when you called yourself Kylo Ren. However, you saved so many others as Ben Solo”. She looks at Rey. “If Rey trusts you. Stars, even Chewie, Lando and the Queen of Naboo trusts you… _sigh_ … and so will I trust you too”.

Suddenly, Poe slams his fists onto the table with a loud bang which shocked everyone in the room. He speaks in an aggressive tone, “How can you all say that?! This is nonsense! How is this going to work anyway? Once he shows his face to the public, everyone across the galaxy will automatically recognise that he’s Kylo Ren!”.

Poe’s statement did make a lot of sense and it made everyone pause to think for a moment. Even Rey starts to get nervous. He’s right, people may recognise him. The Queen notices that everyone now, including Rey, Lando and Chewie are in a dilemma. She sighs and speaks, “My young prince, have you taken off your helmet in front of people before?”.

“Only to certain high-ranking officers of the First Order. But I believe most of them are probably dead. If I were to go to planets, I would always have my helmet on”.

“Well then. I’d say it’s safe to say that Ben will be fine if his face is shown to everyone”.

Ben sighs at this. A million questions flooded his mind. What if there are officers or even storm troopers who survived Exegol? There are many First Order people stationed across the galaxy who were not part of the battle at Exegol. What if these people actually know how he looks like? Will the rat him out? Suddenly, a small hand slips into his and gives him a squeeze. He looks at Rey who has her hand in his. He can also feel that these are the same questions that are running in her mind.

Ben knows what he has to do and he speaks, “Your Majesty, I will take up your offer but under the condition that I tell the galaxy who I truly was and who I currently am. There will definitely be people who will recognise me and I don’t want to lie to them. I’ll give a thorough explanation that I want to do good and I’ll bring peace and prosperity to Naboo and to the entire galaxy”.

As Rey hears this, she quickly pulls her hand away from his. Ben looks at her in shock and he sees tears running down Rey’s face. She sobs, “I won’t… I won’t let you do this… People will kill you… Once they know, they’ll never stop, hurting and hunting you… I can’t lose you Ben… I can’t…”. Rey quickly separates herself from him, runs up to their bedroom and shuts the door with a loud bang.

Poe’s eyes finally open. Heck, all her friends are now terribly worried about Rey because they didn’t know the extent of Rey’s love towards Ben. Poe sighs heavily and says, “Rey really loves you. Like a lot…”.

Ben was still in a moment of shock at Rey’s reaction until he heard Poe said the L-word. He turns his head towards Poe so quickly that he felt dizzy. “She does?!?!?”.

All those in the room rolled their eyes, including the Queen. She got up from her seat and walks to Ben. She stops beside him and whacks his head from behind. “She does, you idiotic bubble brain!”

Lando chuckles, “My my… Your Highness… mind your language”.

Ben looks at the Queen in shock. “What was that for!?!?!?”.

“That’s for being a real jerk and for acting dumb. Now I’m having second thoughts on making you the next heir to the throne. I thought you have a keen eye for detail and that you have good analytic skills but I guess I’m wrong. You can’t even tell that THAT girl loves you so much!”.

Ben looks down to the ground and his long hair falls over his face to cover a gentle smile. Ben thinks, “ _She really does love me…_ ”. He puts back his straight face and looks up. “She’ll come around. I’ll talk to her after this. If I become King, then I want to do things the right way. I can’t hide my past identity forever. First, I’d like to work hand in hand with you, Your Majesty. With your permission, I want to send out a message to all First Order facilities across the galaxy to halt all activities and gather at a deserted planet or island. I remember that there’s a secret First Order facility in Jakku. I want all First Order people to gather there and I’ll make the necessary announcements and changes”. He looks at Rey’s friends. “I really appreciate it if you could all help me. Especially you, Finn. With your background, you will be able to help the stormtroopers to break free from First Order practices. Can you do that?”.

Finn’s eyes brighten up at Ben’s decision. “Are you for real? You’re going to let them go free?”. Ben nods. “I’ll help you”.

“Thank you. Poe, you have certain leadership skills that I may not have. You’ve also served my mother during the war and I’m sure you’ve picked up some of her skills as well. Will you help guide me in this? To be honest, I don’t know Rey’s decision about this. I need to tell her that I’ll be going to Jakku and I don’t want to bring her there. If she doesn’t come, I’d like you to help me instead. I need your input that will help me make the right decisions. And Rose, you have a good and caring heart. I know that you’ll be able to touch people’s lives with your words of encouragement. Can you all help me move forward to make a better future?”.

Everyone nods in unison and Ben can’t help but stand and bows his head. “Thank you, everyone. I know that I’ve made terrible mistakes but thank you for lending me your strength and support. I will try my best to not disappoint you”.

Poe growls, “Yeah, you better not. If I see you reverting back to your old ways as Kylo Ren, I will not hesitate to pull the trigger… and I don’t care if it jeopardizes my friendship with Rey”.

“I won’t, Poe. With all of you by my side to guide me, I promise to not turn to the dark side. Well, I guess I’d better go talk to Rey. Feel free to stay here as long as you want. That is, if the Queen allows it”. Ben looks at the Queen and she gives him a nod of approval. “Guess that’s a yes. There are plenty of guest rooms available”. He begins to walk up the stairs but he quickly turns his head to his newfound allies. “But please, if there’s something about the room that you don’t like, perhaps the bed or something else, please find yourself a different room”. With that, Ben hurries to his room to talk to Rey.

As his guests hears the door opening and shutting, Finn raises an eyebrow in confusion. “What was that all about? Talk about hospitality skills… Shouldn’t he make sure that his guests are comfortable in his own house?”.

Lando and Chewie chuckles. “That would be our fault. We made their lives miserable in the past few days, hahaha…”. Lando begins to tell them what happened when he and Chewie first arrived.

In Ben and Rey’s bedroom, they can hear muffled laughter from below. It seems things are going well downstairs. As Ben walks into the room, he sees Rey sitting on their bed with her knees to her chest and arms around her knees. She looks away from him so that he can’t see the redness of her beautiful hazel eyes.

“Rey, you know for a fact that this is the right thing to do. If I become king, I’ll be able to do a lot of good, especially when you’re by my side… and as king, I can’t lie to my people. I have to take responsibility for my past actions. I’d obviously try my best to avoid imprisonment or even execution, but I’ll make Naboo and the entire galaxy a better place”, Ben says softly as he walks closer to Rey and sits beside her. Will you please look at me? Rey?

She slowly turns her head and as she sees her other half right in front of her, her tears start to flow out again. “Do you know how much it hurt when Palpatine threw you down that pit? I knew that you weren’t dead but it still hurt. I thought I was going to be alone again. We just found each other and with a whip of a hand, you were taken away from me. This is going to be the same. Once the galaxy finds out who you are, they will never stop hunting you. They will do whatever it takes to kill you. Be it by the law or not. I can’t lose you again, Ben… I won’t…”.

Ben cups her cheek, lowers his head, and gently presses his forehead to hers. “But this is the only way. Your friends actually supported this, despite the various warnings given… but they agreed for me to become the next ruler. Anyway, if people were to even try to take my life, you know that I’m strong enough to defend myself… and I’m sure you wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen. Am I right?”, he lifts his head and grins at Rey.

Rey can’t help but blush at his cheekiness and she gently punches him in the shoulder, “Of course I’ll be here to protect you too! Don’t think I’ll let anyone take you away from me…”.

Ben chuckles, “Haha… Thought so”. He then looks at Rey with a serious expression. “A lot of things are going to happen from now on. We can’t stay here and do nothing. I know that there are still First Order people across the galaxy who weren’t part of the battle at Exegol. I need to gather them, announce that the First Order is completely destroyed and that they have a chance to begin a new life. You friends are willing to support this decision. However, this gathering will take place at Jakku”.

Rey’s eyes widen and she begins to feel very nervous. Jakku is the last place she wants to be. Her terrible and traumatic childhood has now returned to haunt her. She stutters, “Why… Jakku… of all… places…?”.

Ben sees this and he holds both of her hands in his. “There’s a First Order facility deep in the desert that no one knows except the First Order. Furthermore, it’s far from civilization. If things go south, we can at least know that there won’t be any innocent bystanders that will get hurt. I know that you don’t want to go back there and I won’t force you. I’m just letting you know that the rest of us will be going there soon. I’d also prefer if you stay here with the Queen. You’ll be much safer here”.

Rey snatches her hands away and holds his sleeves tightly, “N… no! No! You will not leave me! You can’t! I’ll… I’ll be fine… at Jakku… I know… it’ll be hard… but… I need to face my past… and come to terms with what happened… So please… please don’t leave me behind… I’ll go with you…”.

Ben pulls Rey for a big hug. “I’ll never leave you, Rey. The choice is yours. I’m fine if you stay here or you’ll go with me… but if you really want to follow me to Jakku, just know this… that whatever happens, I’ll always be here for you. When you’re hurting, you have to tell me so that we can talk about it and get it through together. When you feel like crying, don’t cry alone. Let me be next to you to comfort you. Okay?”.

Rey wraps her arms around his huge torso and she breathes into his chest, “Okay… Thank you, Ben… For everything”. She looks up to his face and gives him a peck on his cheek.

Ben was stunned but his face quickly turned into a smirk, “Is that all I’m getting?”. Rey blushes and so she kisses him on the lips. Ben can’t help but smirk even more. “That’s not enough, Rey. I need more!”. Ben quickly pushes her back onto the bed and pulls the covers over them to hide their quick lovemaking.


End file.
